For the past several years, Zimbabwe's Amakhosi Theatre for Social Change has been using the so-called Theatre-for-Community-Action (TCA) methodology to support and involve local community members in the fight against HIV/AIDS. In Zimbabwe, the use of theatre for social change has its roots in the liberation struggle, when theatre was used to create awareness and mobilise people to combat oppression. TCA evolved from these songs, community meetings and late night drama sessions. In September 2001, in response to the AIDS crisis in Zimbabwe, Amakhosi Cultural Centre organised a one-year long practical theatre skills training programme to promote the use of the TCA methodology in all seven districts of Matabeleland North Province.

Fighting AIDS in Matabeleland

Matabeleland's rural residents depend almost exclusively on farming and raising livestock and they have been seriously affected by difficult economic conditions and drought. High unemployment has forced large numbers of (mainly) men to migrate from rural areas to cities throughout the southern Africa region. Away from their families, many often find another sex partner and some contract HIV. On their return, they infect their own wife back in the rural home. Women also face economic hardships compounded by the migration of men and many women have resorted to "transactional sex" in order to feed themselves and their children.

Although HIV/AIDS is a serious problem in the community, people seldom discuss it, partly because of the socio-cultural sensitivity and stigma associated with it. Sources of AIDS information, such as churches, clinics, village community health workers, peer educators, traditional healers, midwives and the Ministry of Health officials, tend to inform those who come to them. Education in rural schools is far from adequate.

Community theatre can take the message to the people, instead of getting people to the theatre. In the past, visiting groups have used theatre and drama for AIDS education in some parts of Matabeleland North Province. While many drama groups exist in the districts – mainly at secondary schools – most do not use scripted advocacy plays. Instead, they do stage improvisations, which have a tendency to shift content each time the play is performed. For example, a play on HIV prevention can change to a play on domestic violence and poverty. To avoid contradicting and unintended messages that may misinform the audience, Amakhosi wrote a script called "Vikela" for all district and ward groups in the training programme.

Offering professional training

At the official launch of Amakhosi's training programme in September 2001, several district and community-level stakeholders offered their resources. These included staff from the District Medical and Environment Offices, the Ministry of Youth Development, the National and Matabeleland North AIDS Councils and the "Better Schools" programme. To select youth to be trained in TCA methodology, theatre trainers and district representatives identified young talent in all existing wards in their respective districts and came up with one participant from each ward.

The workshop participants visited people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) and children affected by AIDS in order to get a first-hand experience of the impact AIDS has on families and communities. During follow-up workshops from November 2001 onward, the participants produced several plays on HIV/AIDS that reached 80,000 people in Matabeleland North. The workshop setting allowed post-performance discussions and community action meetings on several health issues. In addition, the workshops facilitated research, dialogue and problem-solving, and helped to create networks among local community drama groups, community leaders, theatre professionals and health officials.

The trained youths will perform two theatre shows in each ward in the whole district, distribute advocacy materials in local languages, engage audiences in post-performance discussions and collect data. People are asked to define the magnitude and determinants of HIV/AIDS in their community and formulate possible solutions into action plans. The local theatre group in each ward, equipped with TCA methodology skills, will lead to the formation of Community Action Teams that will lead, motivate and engage communities to implement the Community Action Plan. These rural performances will begin in April 2002 and run until the end of the year.

Since its inception in September 2001, the programme has established strategic partnerships with two Local Authority District Councils in Lupane and Umguza, while negotiations with five other districts are at an advanced stage.
Although this is challenging work, the programme has been able to support rural District Health Committees in using drama effectively against AIDS. Therefore, Amakhosi intends to continue developing, producing and presenting arts and cultural programming. Amakhosi's mission to nurture talent and celebrate the arts from a Zimbabwean perspective is exemplified by its 20-year existence: in 1982, its first pilot centre was created, Amakhosi Performing Arts Workshop (APAW), which produced and toured theatre plays. In the same year, APAW established Zimbabwe's first full-time arts training workshop for all arts disciplines. Regional tours started with Botswana in 1985 and we have been touring worldwide since 1990. In 1995, Amakhosi established the Township Square Cultural Centre, Zimbabwe's first privately owned Cultural Centre. Currently, Amakhosi Community Centre has ten programmes: Theatre for Social Change, the Performing Arts Programme, Education Programme, Arts in Education Programme, a Film and Video Programme, Artists-in-Residency Programme, the annual Inxusa Festival, the Children's Training Programme, the Talent Showcase Programme and the Social Humanities Programme.