Fighting for women’s rights through theatre

By The NewsDay | Jun. 5, 2013 | 2 Min read

ARTS organisation Savannah Trust has engaged Wadzanayi Women Community Development Trust, a Domboshava-based organisation, in a partnership titled “Women Can do it Campaign ”.

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The campaign is aimed at engaging the public through theatre programmes to conscientise them about women’s rights.

The project includes the staging of plays Echoes in the Quick Sand and Without a Hand.

Echoes in the quick Sand is an improvisation by Teddy Mangawa, Tafadzwa Hanandah, Judith Tsoka and Kumbirai Kupfavira which focuses on the development of women in their given communities while Without a Hand dwells more on the rights of the girl child.

“The police handle between 19 and 20 rape cases per month in Domboshava alone and we felt it was vital that the community from which the perpetrators come is made aware of the implications of their actions on the life of the girl child,” said Daniel Maposa, director of Savannah Trust.

Maposa said the programme was also vital in this period when the nation prepares for elections as such cases are always on the increase during election time.

Mangawa, one of the facilitators of the programme and performer said they had been receiving overwhelming response from the communities.

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“From the pre and post-performance discussions that we hold with the women, we have realised that the programme has a positive impact on the community,” said Mangawa.

“The play, Without a Hand is more inclined to the girl child and in Domboshava there have been rampant cases of young girls from as young as Grade 7 pupils being married off. The community has benefited immensely from the programme with school headmasters also willing to work with us.

“Some women confess they have, in some instances, failed to support their counterparts even on the political front due to lack of knowledge, but have learnt a lot from the programme.”