Sections

Social Empowerment as a Determinant of Health

jlevy — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:32:14 -0800

Incorporating Male Gender Norms into Family Planning and Reproductive Health Programs

jlevy — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:09:46 -0800

Early Childhood Development: A Local Priority in Brazil

jlevy — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:27:26 -0800

Creating Community Based Dialogue

Wed, 22 Oct 2003 00:00:00 -0700

In this essay, David Diamond uses three very different projects to discuss various approaches to using cultural work as a community-development toolresponding to issues of globalisation.

"Artists have a central role to play globally today, because cultural workthat originates in community expression is the very heart of dialogue-creationon local, regional and international levels. Any process that stimulates truedialogue helps to combat the negative impacts of globalisation."

Through Headlines Theatre, a Vancouver,Canada–based company, David has entered a community, having beeninvited to do so, and worked with people in that community to help them tellthe community's story using a symbolic language — the theatre. "I have cometo see this work in every instance as creating space for dialogue. Whether itis working with street youth in Vancouver on criminalisation issues(Squeegee -- 1999), the local activist community on global trade agreements(Corporate U — 2000), the local Muslim community on post Sept. 11 fearsand desires (Reaching Across – Oct. 2001) or collaborating with artists andactivists on privatisation-of-water issues (THIR$TY , scheduled for March2002), or members of the Passamaquoddy Nation in Maine on issues oflanguage reclamation (We Have to Find Our Voices – ongoing through 2003),the core impulse is the same: to create space where true dialogue can takeplace."

An excerpt describing one of David's projects, "Reaching Across", details the steps taken to produce the event and discusses the impact on the audience:

Reaching Across

As a response to events of September 11, we thought it would be a goodidea to reach out into the local Muslim community. Phone calls led us to thehead of the Muslim Youth Centre in Surrey, just outside Vancouver and awonderful collaboration happened. The two hour event was called ReachingAcross. There was no play, no actors and no script. Our desire was to createsafe and creative space for two nights where people could come together touse the language of the theatre to explore the fears and desires that havesurfaced between the Muslim and non-Muslim communities, and find ways to“reach across” the fear.

Admission to the two nights was by donation and all proceeds went tothe Muslim Youth Centre. Graphic artists donated a graphic. The MuslimNewspaper donated ad space. Other community papers did stories. The Croatian Cultural Centre donated space. Even the local butcher where theMuslim community buys its meat was handing out flyers with each purchase!

We used Boal's technique called Rainbow of Desire in which audiencemembers populate the stage as characters that represent various, internalvoices of fear and desire inside one person's (the story-teller's, orProtagonist's) head. I also develop a “rainbow” for the Antagonist and thenuse the exercise to peel the layers of complexity away from what has becomea largely symbolic moment for the community.

During the two nights, one in Surrey and one in Vancouver, about 170people attended. The story the first night was offered by a youth. He is sitting watching the news with his parent. They have a screaming disagreementabout US foreign policy – not for the first time. They walk out of the room inseparate directions. The second night focussed on a woman's story: OnSeptember18 she had put a peace sign on the door of her apartment. Adelegation from the building knocked on her door with a petition, signed byeveryone in the building, saying the symbol was disrespectful to the familiesof the victims in NY and insisted she take it down.

The audience understood these moments in many ways. Certainly theywere at the heart of many conversations I had had and heard about in themonths of September/October, 2001. During the event we investigated withgreat care both sides of the equations. Muslims and non-muslims worked andplayed together on the stage, switching roles, investigating fear, desire,assumptions, presumptions. We used the theatre in a very grassroots way,responding to current events in the moment, and in so doing helped peoplesee and hear “the other” through different eyes, while our Government madepreparations for war. In the process we raised almost $500.00 to help supportsafe space for Muslim youth to gather in hostile times.

Click here for the full article online.

Gender Norms and Family Planning Decision-making in Tanzania: A Qualitative Study

kdevries — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:22:33 -0800

Multiple Concurrent Partnerships in a Sub-Saharan Setting: Biases in Self-Reported Measures and Their Implications for HIV/AIDS Prevention

jlevy — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:20:36 -0700

Consultation on Concurrent Sexual Partnerships

kdevries — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:45:30 -0700

Beliefs about Gender Equality Predict Multiple Concurrent Sexual Partnerships

kdevries — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:22:28 -0700

Why Multiple Sexual Partners?

jlevy — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:34:33 -0700

Addressing Multiple and Concurrent Partnerships in Southern Africa: Developing Guidance for Bold Action

kdevries — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:30:41 -0700

Republic of Botswana: National Campaign Plan - Multiple Concurrent Partnerships

jlevy — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:55:20 -0700

Fibre Comes East... Is Kenya Prepared?

jlevy — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:46:47 -0800

TV Soap Operas in HIV Education: Reaching out with Popular Entertainment

jlevy — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:39:30 -0800

Congo's Paraplegic Musicians: Lullabies of the Abandoned

jlevy — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:47:46 -0800

In Their Own Words: The Formulation of Sexual and Health-related Behaviour among Young Men in Bangladesh

dheimann — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 05:34:26 -0700

In Their Own Words: The Formulation of Sexual and Health-related Behaviour among Young Men in Bangladesh

Author

Shivananda Khan

Sharful Islam Khan

Paula E. Hollerbach

Beyond Debate: Impacts of Deliberative Issue Framing on Group Dialogue and Problem-Solving

jlevy — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:51:15 -0800

Participatory Communication: A Practical Guide

kdevries — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:18:04 -0800

Participatory Communication: A Practical Guide

Author

Thomas Tufte

Paolo Mefalopulos

Promising Practices in Online Engagement

jlevy — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:14:32 -0700

Beginning with the End in Mind: A Call for Goal-Driven Deliberative Practice

jlevy — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:26:34 -0800

'Enjoy Poverty'

jlevy — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:16:13 -0700

The New Laboratories of Democracy: How Local Government is Reinventing Civic Engagement

jlevy — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:51:48 -0700

A Study on Violence Against Girls in Primary Schools and its Impacts on Girls’ Education in Ethiopia

aventh — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 03:34:24 -0700

Supporting the Integration of Family Planning and HIV Services

jlevy — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:44:18 -0700

HIV Transmission in Intimate Partner Relationships in Asia

jlevy — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:35:56 -0700

Communication for Development: Demonstrating Impact and Positioning Institutionally

kdevries — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:21:33 -0700