Themba

So I started my work with Themba today and feel so much better. It's really a great organization--they have created a number of interactive plays based on forum theater techniques, psychodrama, sociodrama, etc about HIV issues that they perform in schools and correctional centers (e.g. jails). I'm going to a jail tomorrow with them to see them perform...I watched a rehearsal today and was so impressed by how they integrate the interactive components and different theatrical styles and reflection and dialogue. And I am excited in turn to support them in using more TO techniques, more gestural work, etc. They also provide interactive training to companies and community based orgs, so I'll go with them to some trainings and provide feedback. Their structure seems really solid--they hire youth as peer educators and then promote them up through the ranks and into managerial positions. The organization was founded by two British women who have now stepped out, and it is run by South Africans, although it receives funding from a lot of Europeans sources, including the Elton John AIDS Foundation...there is a pic of him on the wall with the Themba team...I am also going to work with them on developing a play specifically addressing homophobia, which will be very interesting. I have already had some discussions about this with various folks there--there is much more openness here than in West Africa, but still lots of prejudice...we'll see how that develops. My favorite moment today was sitting in on a training staff meeting where they were discussing program logistics and had a lengthy conversation about how to ensure that they had enough penises to keep at the office and then take to their sites...I mean practice penises to demonstrate proper condom use but they kept saying, "well there's a box of penises in the closet", "but are there enough penises to take to the center tomorrow?" "I think we need to go out and get a few more penises"...but the thing is you have to be completely frank about sex to teach people about safe practices and thus lower the rate of infection here, it's imperative. So tomorrow me, a team of actors, and some penises will be going into the jail. Wish me luck!