Acting out (of) Conflict in Rwanda – Family Drama

Performers act out scenes of conflict that mimic audience member's stories.

We’re featuring stories of how participatory theater is changing attitudes and sparking conversation in Rwanda. Oftentimes conflict over land arises not between strangers or neighbors but between family members. The scarcity of land versus the density of the population means that inheritance is a subject often fraught with feelings of jealousy, greed and marginalization.  International Intern, Elise Webb brings us another story of how theater brought two siblings toward understanding:

Before each show, the Search for Common Ground Participatory Theater troupe disperses into the community to interview villagers about what struggles are taking place among neighbors and family members.  One woman in the Rubengera Sector of Karongi in Eastern Rwanda was approached by the actors and asked to tell her story. She recounted it to them, ‘There was a conflict in my family of my older brother trying to take all of the land that should have been divided up in inheritance to all of the siblings, including myself.’ Later that afternoon, the woman and her family gathered in the market place to see the performance and each was amazed to see a version of their story on display before their neighbors.

The citizens were asked to intervene and try to solve the conflict for their neighbors. Since the theatrical dispute was a fictionalized version of the actual disagreement, different solutions could be explored. The family was able to watch test runs of outcomes before settling on a tangible resolution. This experience shaped the way the family dealt with their issues.

The woman who was approached concluded, “After the theatre I was inspired to talk to my brother about our issues. I told him, ‘This land is our common ground so it cannot be also the source of our conflict.’ We were able to solve the conflict ourselves, because it is expensive if the courts are involved, by dividing the plot equally amongst us all.”

By watching arbitration the family was able to mimic the play to arrive at a solution beneficial not only to all of the siblings who were able to receive land but also eased the strain on the household budgets by avoiding the high court fees that would have resulted if they had gone to government officials to solve their problem.

In this way, Search for Common Ground’s Participatory Theatre program is both contributing to the peaceful transformation of conflict and also the economic development of Rwanda. A bit more money saved in the hands of the average Rwandan family could lead to an investment in the future.

See what else we’re doing in Rwanda!