With the support of Egmont Trust, in summer 2014 Ace Africa began its community drama project in areas of rural Arusha, Tanzania. There are many issues facing daily life in these areas of as community knowledge on women and child rights and stigma associated with HIV and AIDS. 22% of these communities believe that boys have more rights than girls and through fear and stigma 43% of people had not gone for an HIV test.

Through Ace Africa’s Child-to-Child (CtC) Clubs use of theatre and performances to develop children’s knowledge on hygiene, health and HIV awareness has always been encouraged. However within the wider communities where Ace operates the use of drama is not widespread. The potential of community theatre is great leading to a change in community’s negative perceptions and attitudes on the rights of children and women as well as other issues that are associated here.

Ace has partnered with Seka Educational Theatre, an organisation that has extensive experience in the development and delivery of participatory theatre in diverse communities focusing on the social, economic, health and rights issues that people face in their daily lives. Alongside Seka, Ace have launched a very exciting community theatre group and aim to develop a specific rights based, community theatre programme to be implemented in schools and the community in Ace’s project site of Mateves.

Training has focussed on educating the community on Child rights and challenges facing children in the community, HIV and AIDS awareness, promoting voluntary counselling and testing, as well as educating families on ways of transmission, symptoms and how Ace CtC clubs can help children to deal with stigmatisation. Since the training the community theatre groups now have 9 days of performances in which the new Ace drama club will be able to put into action on what they have learnt to both schools and the wider communities in Arusha.

We would like to thank Egmont Trust for allowing Ace to launch this very exciting new project and for their most generous continued support. We look forward to updating you further about these performances in due course.