All the village is a stage!

Thumbnail
Authors
Date Issued
1998
Language
en
Type
News Item
Accessibility
Open Access
Metadata
Show full item record
Share

Citation
CTA. 1998. All the village is a stage! . Spore 78. CTA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Permanent link to cite or share this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/48242
External link to download this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/99635
Abstract/Description
The theatre is often seen as a mirror in which spectators can see their own reflection. Since time immemorial, comedy has been used as a means of dealing with problems by poking fun at them.In Chad, the 'farmers animation' team of APICA (the African...
Notes
The theatre is often seen as a mirror in which spectators can see their own reflection. Since time immemorial, comedy has been used as a means of dealing with problems by poking fun at them. In Chad, the 'farmers animation' team of APICA (the African Community Initiatives Support Service) uses the mirror technique in 'village theatre' to help pass on farmers' organisations development messages. The service aims at facilitating the work of local groups by teaching them some theatrical techniques. Simple improvisation alone will not work if a play is really going to catch people's attention, inform them and popularise issues in rural life, as well as point towards solutions. Three aspects are essential for a play to hit home: the setting has to relate to specific local problems; the actors must be good; and the play's producer must understand development issues as well as theatrical presentation. The follow-up discussion to the play should be well-prepared, in order to help people understand specific problems. In the region of Moissala and the centre of Doli, for example, the questions asked by local people showed that not only had they enjoyed the play, but that they had grasped the key messages better than they would have by means of a 'traditional' community development approach. It is to be hoped that the theatrical approach becomes more widespread, and that there will be many more plays for the 'major players' in the village. Contact: Nicaise Ahanda Director APICA Chad antenna BP 208, Sarh, Chad. Fax: + 235 68 1309
Organizations Affiliated to the Authors
Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
Collections