Human beings and bio-diversity
can co-exist peacefully
Culture
is a critical aspect of any development programme
A well-conceived theatre piece
can do in 15 minutes what 3000 hectares of
flipcharts cannot achieve
Educational theatre does not need
to patronize, over simplify or lecture its audience
People are the agents of their
own change
Communities, no matter how poor,
marginalised or dispossessed comprise of people.
These people are capable of generating their own
solutions. They have a voice, (it just needs to
reach the right people). They have solutions (they
just need to be heard)
Laughter is a way to make
intimidating issues more manageable
Ceremony! Celebrating Zambia's Cultural
Heritage is
now available. The book contains a wealth of
information about traditional ceremonies on
the Zambia calendar, spread over 200 pages
of spectacular photography and informative
text. [click for
more]
Background to Seka
Seka
Theatre was initiated in the South Luangwa National Park, in eastern
Zambia and has since expanded to Tanzania.
We
are a collective of artists who create theatre to address pressing
issues in the community. We believe in changing circumstances by
changing minds and changing minds through the arts - theatre and
stories in particular.
A
combination of action research and participatory theatre is used to
sensitise and educate communities on various important social and
environmental issues. In addition we use theatre as an interactive
research tool, which can be used to identify and channel information
from communities to government, development organizations, and other
decision-making bodies. We raise awareness and provide the catalyst
for community mobilisation.
We
use theatre to generate debate within communities and amongst
stakeholders in the targeted areas.
By
living in the targeted areas for a length of time the
actor-researchers are able to fully understand the issues at stake
before creating plays to address these issues.
The
participatory nature of the performances allows the audience to take
ownership of their issues as well as to suggest and implement the
solutions to these issues.
Our
theatrical use of humour, visual imagery, puppets, and local song
and dance forms has earned us a reputation as an effective channel
for the vocalising of community concerns.
Our
participatory research methodologies ensure that we get good results
and are well respected in our areas of operation.
See the Seka performers
in an excerpt from the play "Kusanga"
as performed in Lusaka
for the April International Festival
.
