In a bid to advocate for the upgrading of the Machinga-Lirangwe-Chingale Road, Nanzikambe Arts and Trocaire Malawi have engaged the theatre-for-development gear by establishing social action drama groups in the affected communities.
Speaking in an interview at the weekend, Nanzikambe Arts projects officer Misheck Mzumara said people of Chipini in Machinga, Chimsewu in Blantyre Rural and Chingale in Zomba face problems during the rainy season as the road becomes impassable, rendering them destitute and prone to many risks.
He said people of the three areas approached Trocaire for funding support towards pushing for their voices to be heard by duty bearers on the issue of upgrading the road into a tarmac one.
“This is where we came in as a theatre organisation; Trocaire provided funding while Nanzikambe began working with the local communities by forming drama groups to sensitise people on the need to mobilise themselves in demanding for a better road,” said Mzumara.
He said the drama groups have already embarked on activities that are interactive in nature using participatory theatre-based and the project is called Tiyeni Titukule Dera Lathu Limodzi.
“During the theatre process, the audience explores their lives through enactment of the self. Through the sharing of individual experiences, the target audiences are brought to a point where they gain—and feel a sense of having gained—some intellectual, emotional and political control over their lives,” explained Mzumara.
