Soul Beat Africa
African development action with informed and engaged societies
Soul Beat Africa
After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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arepp:Theatre for Life

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arepp: Theatre for Life is an edutainment non-governmental organisation (NGO), which has been operating nationally in South Africa since 1987. Using live, dramatic presentations, African Repertory Educational Performance Programme (AREPP) travels to schools providing interactive, social life-skills education to school-going youth, enabling informed choice and developing resilience within the youth.

Presented in the real-life context of the audience, there are two aspects: the live performance of a play, specifically designed for the targeted age group to foster identification and emotional recognition; followed by a facilitated peer discussion, to encourage debate, and further cognitive personalisation, internalisation and contextualising of the issues presented. These presentations aim to display, encourage, demonstrate and examine life-skills at work, in ‘real life’ situations, and most importantly, according to arepp:Theatre for Life, in context.
Communication Strategies

arepp:Theatre for Life performances incorporate the current music, sayings, and social attitudes of the particular audience. Past shows have included the 45- to 60-minute-long "Check Your Mate", an adult production on HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, abuse, and rape; "Look before You Leap", a series of shows performed in high schools that focus on sexuality, HIV/AIDS, gender, and abuse; the 30- to 40-minute-long "About Us", a series of shows for 11- to 15-year-old students on HIV/AIDS, abuse, and life skills; and "No Monkey Business", which is intended to teach 6- to 10-year-olds about life skills and body awareness.


Performances are followed by a facilitated question-and-answer session with the cast, who are trained to respond to questions about sensitive issues. A supplementary facts and information leaflet, which is developed only after consultation with the relevant education, health, and social organisations in each community, is also provided.


arepp:Theatre for Life also designs and runs various workshops whose purpose is to build skill and experience in puppetry, drama, educational theatre, and issue training. The workshops provide educators and entertainers with teaching aids for use in their peer education and outreach programmes. Workshops have been conducted with adults (nurses, teachers, community health workers, counselors, and prisoners), youth, and children on the use of puppetry, theatre, and popular media in education. The length, focus, and outcome (possibly, a live performance) of these workshops vary according to the needs of the organisation requesting training. However, all of the workshops are designed to increase manual, visual, creative, and language skills. They also aim to give participants from different backgrounds the opportunity to create something together, while providing them with new means of self-expression and information-sharing.

Development Issues

Health, Children, Youth, Gender, HIV/AIDS.

Key Points

This programme was initiated in 1987 as part of a research project on indigenous puppetry.

Sources

arepp:Theatre for Life website