Act4Africa - Using Drama and Theatre for Development

Using Drama and Theatre for Development (TfD) is a fantastic way of communicating! For generations, rural populations in developing countries have relied on the spoken word and traditional forms of communication to share knowledge and exchange information on social, health and agricultural themes, and to provide entertainment.

So there are many advantages in using drama and theatre for Development!

it can be culturally appropriate and context sensitive
it can be a means to listen to the voice of the silent parts of the community and allow the people to express the issues
it is a public, non-intrusive vehicle to communicate information
it can foster ownership by the partner community, of strategies that have been developed together
it is cost-effective in terms of one performance reaching many people
performances may be adaptable to local contexts, especially when accompanied by workshops it can be used with other media to reinforce its message (eg pamphlets, radio)

To find out more, read the stories to the right, or to find out more about Act4Africa, check out our 'Fact File'.

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Thursday, 18 Aug 11The Girl Effect - Unique Potential

Chapter 4 of Thoughts from the Top by Martin Smedley

This month I have been very excited and moved by a brilliant video clip from the Girl Effect. Click >> Here to see the video for yourself. Over the years it has become more and more obvious to us that one of the key groups in the struggle for good health in Africa are young girls and women. For some of the reasons outlined in the video they are impacted not only by their life situation in...

Saturday, 30 Jul 11Malawi project update - JULY 2011- REPORT

Bernard Delivers ToT Training - July 2011

Chapter 15 of Destination Malawi by Bernard Makupete

News from the field: During this month me and Tumaini Orogenes (senior trainer from Tanzania) we had a good time of observations of level 2 following the ToT we had last month with the team from Kauma. In this team I have seen improvements in many areas than before this is to say that we had no adjustments of time venue as well as dates. The fact of the matter is that this was the big...

Thursday, 14 Apr 11Bernard Powers On ..

Chapter 14 of Destination Malawi by Martin Smedley

Team Impact News This month we passed the halfway point stage of our financial year and it was an opportunity to pause and take stock. Our brilliant teams in Africa have so far reached over 30,000 young people since September 2010 with our health education workshops and in Malawi. Bernard Makupete powers on with training more trainers who are being released into their own communities, as...