Theatre in Preventing HIV among Young People and Adolescents (TIPH)

Located in three HIV-prevalent districts of Lesotho - Leribe, Maseru, and Berea - the project was undertaken with and for the benefit of young people and adolescents. With seed funding from UNICEF, master facilitators (MFs) supported local facilitators (LFs) in establishing community-based theatre groups. Specific areas of the districts were highlighted for dissemination of HIV/AIDS knowledge and to encourage risk reduction and avoidance skills. According to the organisers, by using live performances to share their story, actors and audiences alike felt safer to communicate their feelings without fear or judgement, breaking the silence and shame around issues such as gender equality, HIV and AIDS, violence, and abuse. People in the audience are invited to respond to what is happening on stage. For example, as the character Lineo recalls her story, Puleng, a grandmother in the audience, responds, "It reminds me of my daughter in law who died of AIDS. She had different ministers [sugar daddies] for transport, entertainment, finance and more. She didn’t live a year from the time she found out her HIV status. I was angry with her because she took both my son and my granddaughter's lives with her. I realise now that she was very young and I should have done more to support her, to listen and talk to her without judging her."

The performance process is designed to inspire behaviour change and enhance inter-generational dialogue so that people take responsibility for the quality of their lives in the context of HIV/AIDS. Violence, discrimination, and HIV have all in some way affected the young actors in the theatre and they use their personal stories to reveal common challenges and promote empathy, understanding, and learning. The organisers report that there is a general fatigue of HIV "lessons" within Lesotho, but that opportunities to speak from the heart help people identify and feel the real impact of any learnings. According to the organisers, in a country with the third highest HIV prevalence rate in the world, where almost one in four adults are infected and young people, especially girls, are disproportionately affected, and where over 220,000 children are orphans, this intervention provides a fresh approach to HIV prevention and a critical step towards ensuring a young generation free of HIV.

The first phase of the project reached over 650 community members and young people.

In July 2010, NGOC started implementing the second phase of the Theatre in Preventing HIV among Young People and Adolescents (TIPH) project. This phase included a gathering of approximately thirty young people, aged between 15 and 24, for a theatre residency that culminated in the development of a play entitled "It's about time.../Joale ke nako..."

The theatre production is about a young girl whose boyfriend demands to have sex as a proof of love. Initially she refuses, but later she gives in to the pressure and ultimately contracts HIV. The play explores sexuality in the context of HIV and AIDS and endeavours to open an intergenerational dialogue on sexuality, gender, and HIV prevention. Through its basis in real life experiences and feelings and by engaging the audience in dialogue, it seeks to break down the barriers that prevent open communication on these issues.

The idea is that participants from the workshop also establish community-based theatre groups to tackle issues around HIV/AIDS in their own communities. This phase of the project is being implemented in five of the ten districts of the country, including the districts where Child Grants are being disbursed under the Government of Lesotho, European Union (EU), and UNICEF "Empowering Orphans and Vulnerable Children" project. This HIV prevention intervention also complements the DFID-supported Children and AIDS Regional Initiative (CARI) which seeks to improve the wellbeing of orphans and children made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS by addressing their health, education, and protection.

The production "It's About Time.../Joale Ke Nako..." will be performed at the Drama For Life Festival in August 2010, which is run by the Drama Division at the University of the Witwatersrand and looks at the role of theatre in HIV/AIDS prevention.

HIV/AIDS, Youth