Tajikistan’s Theatre of the Oppressed

By Marina Safarova                                   Click pictures to enlarge and for caption

ICA Tajikistan, known here as EHIO – Farhang va Tarakkiyot, has been using a new interactive method known as Drama for Conflict Transformation (DCT) in the Sogd region for the last three years. This project is supported by USAID and the British and US embassies.

EHIO has theatrical groups and drama clubs led by youths and adults in three districts. Their Forum Theatre events provide a safe space for dialogue on issues ranging from family and gender violence to conflict over shared land and water resources. The performances get people in their communities to discuss these and other problems that they face.

Forum theatre, also called “Theatre of the oppressed”, focuses on revealing and prioritizing problems to be solved. A performance featuring a problem or misunderstanding will pause at a critical moment, and will then be repeated. The audience is invited to intervene if they have a solution. They take the place of the actor and try to deal with the problem or conflict

Forum theatre gives people the chance to analyze their feelings and look deeper into the problem. It is not only interesting but also useful and relevant. Members of the audience get to show initiative and gain moral satisfaction.
Forum Theatre has made a strong impact on the rural population. For example, in Isfara district, girls lead a secluded life and do not participate in social activities. But after one of these performances, they have started discussing the problems of their communities.

Youths in Jabbor Rasulov district exposed to the DCT method at summer camps have become authorities among their peers. They are consulted for advice on solving problems between schoolmates, between teacher and pupil, and parents and their children. In this way Forum Theatre has helped build leadership among youth and has surprised us with the power it has for progress.

Marina Safarova is a member of ICA-Tajikistan.