THEATRE VERSUS OPPRESSION
Registered Charity SC039092
Using applied theatre to bring about positive change and development

December 2011 Newsletter

Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning, but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instil in us. (H. Borland)

As Christmas draws near and 2011 draws to a close I am finally sitting down to write a long over due newsletter. 2011 has been a challenging year worldwide, many charities have suffered from grant cuts and difficulties with fund raising amid a world recession and Theatre versus Oppression has suffered with so many others. Despite these challenges this has been a year of significant achievements and developments for TvO.

Our What happened next? project took off and was developed in schools abroad and youth groups within the UK. Many of the youth chose themes close to their heart to work through: themes such as government cuts that are closing their schools forcing them to merge with other schools outside of their catchment area, bullying, divorce, drugs and abandonment issues. The Llanelli group even went on to win a NatWest award to develop and stage the full length plays.

Training workshops took place in the UK in January, June and July with great commitment and work from all participants.

Our domestic abuse programme developed and with the play, ‘til Death us do Part, complete we staged a few performances at the Chapter Arts Centre. The play was used to launch workshops and discussion with victim and perpetrator groups both in the UK and abroad. This work saw us join with youth groups, support groups and prisons. Plans are now afoot to develop the programme further in 2012 and a number of performances are scheduled starting as early as January. Images from a public rehearsal can be seen below.

Our work in Africa, specifically with Kyangwali refugee camp continued this year. The refugees have met with numerous challenges this year and the recession affected their funding also. Despite this the Right to Learn programme continues to flourish and the school continues to grow. CIYOTA, the organisation set up by the refugees, has gone from strength to strength. The school known as the COBURWAS learning centre (CLC) is a day care, nursery and primary school which provides quality education to vulnerable children and the rest of the community.

In everything CIYOTA does, a sense of responsibility for community development is fostered, and CIYOTA leaders strive to empower every individual they touch to be problem-solving, visionary leader for change. Members at local, national and international levels share the principle of developing a united, self-sustained community starting from zero to what great leaders, entrepreneurs have never imagined.

For more information on CIYOTA, their achievements and projects please see http://www.coburwas.org/ 

In July into August we travelled to Kyangwali and continued our work with the various groups there. The camp now have their own applied theatre group actively working throughout Kyangwali and other camps, a group run by and for refugees to focus on issues relevant to their life and circumstances. They have called themselves ‘New Hope’ and can be seen below in the t-shirts that were made for them thanks to the kind support of Damian Faulkner and Modus Visual Media Limited. The women’s group is growing, as are the youth groups. On this visit we were accompanied by two high school students from Atlanta International School.

These students worked in the learning centre with the young children. They did an amazing job supporting English and French classes as well as playing endless games with the children.

The most exciting news of 2011 however rests with the boy, now a young man, who initiated our work in Kyangwali after I met him in South Africa. After graduating from high school Joseph had been offered a partial scholarship to pursue his studies at university level in the USA. This was Joseph’s dream, his goal being to study medicine and return to the camp with this knowledge to help his people. However the partial scholarship meant he was unable to raise the money needed to apply for his study visa and travel to the USA and so he returned to the refugee camp in August 2010.

When I saw Joseph this year I was shocked. For the first time since meeting him he looked like a refugee, he was tired, drawn and had lost a significant amount of weight. As I left Kyangwali I knew we had to work hard to help Joseph fulfil his dreams. Thanks to the extraordinary and unselfish support of donors, especially Mr and Mrs Cumming, the money was raised for Joseph to apply for his visa and pay the remaining fees for his first year. We still have three more years to fund after this but the first steps have been taken.

Joseph will now travel to the USA in early January to begin his university career.

Thank you for your support throughout 2011 and we hope you continue to work with us in 2012.

Wishing all a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

Jennifer Hartley
Founder & Director of TvO

For more information on TvO, to arrange workshops, talks or for details of our projects or performances please contact us at theatreversusoppression@gmail.com