Contact Aarohan Theatre Group
Gurukul, Baneshwor
Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel. 977-1-4466956,
2101332
Fax. 977-1-4477709
Kachahari Theatre Theatre for a democratic culture
A
kachahari is a people's court traditionally held in many Nepali
villages. When faced with a conflict or case of injustice, a villager
would call a Kachahari and present his or her problem. The villagers
would look for possible solutions together. Kachahari Theatre attempts
to create this kind of forum using drama.
Kachahari Theatre is based onthe Theatre of the Oppressed. It is an interactive form
of theatre, where the audience actively participates in and shapes
what happens on stage. Through the theatre, people both analyze
the problem facing them and act out - or "rehearse" -
possible solutions which they can use in their lives
Aarohan has pioneered the use of Kachahari theatre in Nepal. We
use the methods for conflict resolution in institutions and communities
and for helping oppressed groups confront their oppression.
We have worked with diverse group in Kathmandu including street
sweepers, factory workers, students, child laborers, journalists,
and nurses.
We have also trained local People's Theatre groups in different
parts of the country who use the methods in villages. See Kachahari
in the villages
What is Forum theatre and the
Theatre of the Oppressed?
Kachahari theatre is based on Brazilian dramatist Augusto Boal's
Theatre of the Oppressed. In the 1970s, Boal developed a series
of theatre forms and exercises to involve audiences and non-actors
in the work on the stage. One of the central methods is called Forum
Theatre. The actors make a short performance presenting a problem
relevant to the people watching, who then are asked to come with
suggestions for what the central character should do. Their suggestions
are performed immediately. Eventually, the audience may come on
to stage themselves - not just spectators of a performance, but
"spect-actors" who act out their ideas on stage. The other
characters in the story - playing opposite the oppressed - act as
they would in real life. They resist easy solutions, forcing the
audience to try out creative ways of solving their problems. Forum
theatre thus becomes a game, where people facing problems in reality
can "rehearse for life" on stage. Today the methods are
practiced with marginalized and oppressed groups many places in
the world as a tool for analyzing problems and trying out solutions.
Kachahari in the
villages
Aarohan works with local People's Theatre groups in different
part of the country. Our work is an attempt at peaceful conflict
resolution through theatre in a country racked by a bloody civil
war. We believe that theatre can be a part of exploring non-violent
solution to the conflicts and oppression facing marginalized groups.
How does village Kachahari work?
The actors in the groups are from the local communities themselves,
grass-roots activists who have learned some basic acting skills.
They already know the broad basis of the conflicts, but through
informal discussions with people they learn how such conflicts are
seen and experienced locally. Based on this reality, they put together
the first few scenes of a play. The scenes incorporate aspects of
daily life in the village in which the audience lives - the irrigation
canal that runs through the settlement, the words and expressions
that the locals use, the well from which only high-caste people
are allowed to draw water, etc. The play builds up to a conflict
that somehow embodies the social conflict in which local people
are caught. For example, in one village "untouchable"
low-caste people are denied access to certain water taps. The play
might show an untouchable girl secretly taking water from the tap
and getting caught. She is beaten. At this point the play stops.
A storyteller who introduced the play, enters the stage and asks
the audience what the girl should do now. As the audience comes
with suggestions, the actors show them on the spot. Various ideas
are tried out. The other characters in the play react whatever the
girl does in the manner they would in real life. The stage provides
a platform that is somehow safe to try out ideas. Consciously or
subconsciously the audience knows that the play is really about
themselves, but the world of drama creates a space where it is legal
to see one's imagination acted out. As the performance develops,
the play and reality can no longer be separated. People speak freely
about their own lives. They watch their struggles acted out before
them on the stage, and at times join and act them out themselves.
The local theatre groups are:
Equal Development Centre, Doti and
the Kachahari Theatre Group, Sindhuli - are from Dalit,
so-called "untouchable" communities. They perform especially
on issues of caste discrimination
Kachahari Theatre Group, Bardiya - from the
indigenous Tharu community. They perform on issues of landlessless,
tenant rights, domestic violence, child labor, among others
Mithila Theatre Group, Janakpur - from the
Mithala community, a language group spreading across the border
into. They perform on issues such as dowry, child marriage, among
others
Taranga Group, Hetauda, and Sristhi
Group, Dharan are both amateur theatre and arts group,
they perform on a wide variety of issues, including sexual abuse,
poverty, alcoholism and sanitation
What does Aarohan provide the local theatre groups with:
training in Kachahari techniques, acting methods, and some
basic conflict resolution ideas
follow up in the field
a network and bulletin for exchange of experiences
help in documenting their work
Our work with village groups has been supported by UNDP's Peace
Fund and MS-Nepal.
A
kachahari is a people's court traditionally held in many Nepali
villages. When faced with a conflict or case of injustice, a villager
would call a Kachahari and present his or her problem. The villagers
would look for possible solutions together. Kachahari Theatre attempts
to create this kind of forum using drama. 
