How can we tackle Gender Based Violence and how can theatre help that way?

Social norms impose some very rigid behaviours to men and women all over the world, with lots of violence taking place when these norms are not respected. This gender based violence is very difficult to tackle since it is used to reset some norms that were not respected. It is often justified by the whole society. While violence is often condemned the norms are not. So theatre has to make the link between norms and violence. It has to make that link visible so that we won’t be able not to see it in the future. It must make unfair norms unacceptable showing the consequences.

Theatre of the oppressed allows to create small performances that show how a norm can produce very severe violence. The audience can intervene in the play before violence happens. The goal is to work on the problem at a ‘lighter’ level in a previous moment, in situation where people might agree to challenge old norms.

In Somalia for instance we have produced a performance on masculinity showing how at birth a child was offered an AK and everybody would wish him to be a tremendous warrior, to take revenge for all what his family has suffered etc. These kind of rituals make violence endless. They impose to men to be warriors. And in such a context relationships with women can’t be healthy and balanced. As in most of the countries in the world many other forms of violence are taught to the boy, while the girls are taught to accept. So how to challenge norms and rituals that damage society, relationships and oppress women in particular.

This 6 day training will allow to share many easy to use games and techniques to work on the root causes of GBV. We will create small scenes to be re-used by educators to tackle the main forms of GBV and participants will try facilitation.

This project is being coordinated by CISP and is funded by UNICEF

For more information on such training programs please contact us: parteciparte@gmail.com