Winner ‒ Most Innovative Award: Themba Interactive Theatre
The audience is riveted as the story on the stage takes shape. Some members silently curse the evil spirit that is slowly draining the lives of the main characters. But, all is not lost, you can fight back against the evil demon, better known as HIV/Aids.
This is Themba Interactive Theatre, run by a Johannesburg-based company that uses theatre to inform people about HIV/Aids and which aims to eliminate the negative stigma and change attitudes about the disease. The organisation was established in Sophiatown in January 2002.
Five years later it has touched the lives of more than 50 000 young South Africans, educating them about the pandemic and relationships through interactive theatre. Themba trains its own actors and facilitators from disadvantaged backgrounds, constantly creating jobs for the youth.
As the winner of the Investing in the Future Most Innovative Award, the organisation plans to encourage South Africans further to be innovative in fighting HIV/Aids.
Eric Richardson, MD of Themba, says the theatre project has focused on the individual and his or her health and sexual behaviour and relationships.
“Our approach enables open and informed debate between young people and their parents, teachers and community leaders about sex, HIV, sexually transmitted diseases and cultural norms that pressure young people to behave in a risky manner,” he said. “We also encourage and enable young people to learn the life skills and attitudes needed to negotiate safer sexual practices to avoid contracting the HI virus.”
He points out that the effectiveness in the prevention message of the play occurs in the participation of members of the audience, who can use their own languages in their interaction with the Themba staff. He says audience members share their concerns, practice negotiating risk-free sexual encounters, take on roles within the drama and interact with characters and learn more about the risks of unsafe sex and HIV/Aids.
“Themba is unique as an HIV prevention programme because in other HIV and Aids initiatives the goal is to increase the information the participants have about HIV. Themba methodology enables the information received by the participants to take on a greater and more personal meaning because participants enact different life scenarios and learn new ‘life scripts’,” says Richardson.
Mary Mpho Masita, Themba’s lead trainer and facilitator, says: “Pupils feel they can approach us because we are their peers. Most importantly, we do not judge them. It is this attitude of acceptance that keeps me at the Themba HIV/Aids Organisation. We encourage voluntary HIV counselling and testing, as well as discussions about traditions that might pressure young people into risky behaviour. We know that many learners are sexually active already.”
The audience is asked to give written feedback after each performance. “We seek community input and aim to maximise the involvement of women and men living with HIV/Aids. This enables our actor-educators, facilitators and trainers to reflect on their work and to implement changes in the light of what they learned. Themba is committed to researching behaviour change methodologies and this requires that we maintain good relationships with the communities where research is conducted.”
Objectives of Themba’s work are in line with those contained in the HIV/Aids and South Africa’s National Strategic Plan. The strategic plan is aimed at reducing the number of new infections among people in the 15 to 24 age group. This is the target group that Themba has worked with since 2002 and which it intends to work with in the next five years.
Richardson says the organisation phones schools and other institutions to tell them about its work and to set up performances and training programmes. Before conducting a training programme in a community, Themba conducts a needs analysis to ensure that the programme meets the needs of the community.
“We do not merely assume that we know the communities’ needs in terms of HIV/Aids education,” says Richardson, adding that part of the message is to also keep HIV-negative learners negative by examining gender roles and sharing messages about sexual behaviour.
Kim Hope, one of the organisation’s founders, describes the performances as lively and exciting, engaging the audiences from the first moment the drums begin.
“Sadly, many people have become bored with messages about HIV/Aids with which they are constantly bombarded but, when Themba performs, audience members become re-invigorated with the subject and realise they can take responsibility for decisions about their own life choices.”
A learner agrees: “Themba gives you choices on what you do and how you live your life. Live life so you don’t live with regrets.”
“If we can ensure that one child who sees a play stays HIV-negative because of what he has learned, every-thing is worth it,” says Richardson.