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Interview with Savanna Trust Director Daniel Maphosa
Francis Rwodzi
September 14, 2011

The role of theatre in community development and social change is sometimes misunderstood by many people and it is even worse when one talks about community theatre. Editor of The Stage Francis Rwodzi (FR) took time to speak to Savanna Trust Director Daniel Maposa (DM) to explain more on this type of arts and its relationship to societal development and the role that Savanna Trust is playing to transform the lives of people in the communities.

FR: Who is Savanna Trust?

DM: Savanna Trust is a non-profit making organisation that uses theatre for social change. Founded in 2006 the organisation uses community theatre for development to engage grassroots communities in various socio-political and economic issues.

FR: Tell me what is Community Theatre or community theatre for development to be precise?

DM: Community theatre can simply be referred to as a peoples' theatre, a theatre produced with the people for the people. It is a theatre that speaks to the common man in his/ her language and idiom and dealing with issues that have a direct relevance to the community's situation. In this regard community theatre for development deals with developmental issues that are pertinent to the community that we work with. In Savannas' context, it ceases to be community theatre that deals with people's entertainment but a theatre that deals with issues that have to do with people's existence. At Savanna Trust, our theatre concentrates on awakening the latent capacity of the people to take part, and to make their own decisions and to organize themselves for common action. The people through community theatre for development are mobilised to play a real and meaningful part in everything affecting their existence. Community theatre in our implementation, it significantly works towards changing society for the better, encouraging the solidarity of the people, through their shared experiences and interchanges. Community theatre enhances popular community expressions as it involves the whole community, not just a small elite group determined by class or education. It is therefore a democratic medium that practices democratic principles to people's engagement and their development.

FR: What is the relationship between community theatre and societal development?

DM: Community theatre deals with the marginalised people, those who are ignored by mainstream models. It listens to the voice of the affected people. It also finds solutions within the people. To this end every other challenge and solution is defined by the people themselves. In the same context true societal development should be based on the needs of a particular community. For there to be true development, there should be participation of the common people in identifying, designing, deciding and implementing the type of developmental model that works for them. Community theatre sees development from this perspective hence its interconnectedness to societal development.

FR: How does theatre fit into the realm of human rights, democracy and governance?

DM: A true people's theatre is one that advances the needs and aspirations of the people. It portrays truthfully people's existence, their challenges and their dreams. Every human being yearns for a society that is just, a society that offers him/her an opportunity to be a full human being. It is such a society where human rights are respected. That society can be defined as democratic. When a society is full of oppression and does not respect or advance people's fundamental rights, theatre cannot be silent. As it speaks out, it is voicing people's concerns and it is in this process that it fits in the whole human rights democracy and governance realms. But critically the community theatre for development aspect of theatre enables people to experience and have an opportunity to practice democracy.

FR: What programmes have you been implementing as Savanna which you feel theatre lovers need to know?

DM: Over the past four years Savanna Trust programmes were mainly engaging with issues of peace building, human rights, governance and democracy. The activities have been focused on raising people's awareness on their human and fundamental rights and mobilizing the grassroots to participate in governance and democratic processes. It is our strongest belief that people should play an active role in the promotion and protection of their human rights and defining the society that they want to see, hence most of our programmes have been focused on building people power. We have also since 2008 been implementing community peace building initiatives in six districts in Zimbabwe. Our focus in this has been building relationships among people and community members as the key drivers to sustainable peace. We have therefore been mobilizing communities to be active in the promotion and preservation of peace for the sake of their communities and the future generations.

We also implemented a pilot programme in Lalapanzi on environmental rights, climate change and livelihoods. Climate change is one of the core issues that any progressive institution that is concerned about community development should main-stream in its activities. It is a big threat to human existence. There is a lot of damage to the environment and to the local communities that is being done in various communities by new ‘investors' particularly involved in mining. They are not only a threat to the environment but to the economic well-being of the local communities. It is important that people are mobilised to deal with the nefarious and diabolic activities of these new miners who are not respecting the environment and the local people. They are impoverishing the people more.

As an organisation that is theatre based we took a deliberate strategy to strengthen the capacity of community based theatre groups so that they are able to articulate various socio-political and economic issues using their art. Capacity development of community based theatre groups through skills transfer, information ex-change and financial support has therefore been one of our core activities.

The Protest Arts International Festival and the Jahunda Community Arts Festival held annually in Gwanda have also been a mainstay of Savanna Trust activities of note.

FR: What have been your achievements and regrets to date?

DM: Our programmes have had a lot of benefits both to the theatre fraternity and to the community they are targeted. Since our founding, the desire to revive the usefulness of community theatre and community based theatre groups in Zimbabwe has been core. To a large extent we have managed to revive a lot of community based theatre groups in the areas that we work in. This has been possible through skills workshops that we have been conducting and exposing our constituency to various training opportunities in tertiary and other formal institutions. We have also created an informed community theatre artist who is able to tackle any socio-political, cultural and economic subject through the medium of theatre through our targeted educational and informational programmes. To this day about eight community theatre groups we work with survive from the programmes we have been implementing for the past four years.

We have been able to reach more than hundred thousand people through our programmes, raising awareness on various human rights, peace, and governance and democracy issues. To this end we have improved people's understanding of the otherwise technical subjects of human rights and democracy. Engaging people in dialogue to find solutions to issues that affect them on a day to day basis has been one of our greatest achievements as we work to-wards social change.

As an institution we also have contributed to the economic well-being of the grassroots communities through livelihoods projects we have been implementing, particularly in Lalapanzi, Mvuma District.

We also have been able to host two successful editions of the Protest Arts International Festival. The festival that is unique in the sense not only of the subject it deals with but its design is growing yearly as it is being graced by international thespians, academics and researchers. Savanna Trust has also been able to host the Jahunda Community Arts Festival yearly from 2007.These among other achievements have been able to enhance the visibility of theatre in public dialogue.

FR: What challenges if any have you faced since the inception of Savanna?

DM: Savanna Trust's main challenges have been fighting the perception that theatre is just for entertainment not for serious com-munity engagement. However, through the seriousness we put into our work, we have been able to deal with that perception particularly to our target groups.

The other challenge has also been the fact that there are very few theatre artists who can do the double role of acting and facilitating dialogue in communities. It's easy to find a talented artist, but a skilled and knowledgeable artist is a rare breed in Zimbabwe particularly taking into consideration that most artists are not trained. More effort has thus been spent in training rather than in actual implementation of activities.

FR: Lastly, what does the future hold for Savanna and for community theatre enthusiasts?

DM: Savanna Trust is committed to becoming a leading organisation in terms of using theatre for social change and the foundation has already been set. Slowly we are taking our position among the best in our sphere of operation. Our existence will continue to be relevant until communities are free from oppression and development is people centred. We will continue to churn out programmes that put people at the centre. For those who have not experienced the power and democratic experience of community theatre for development, our mission is to ensure that it reaches to the core of our communities.

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