Street Theatre Programme: Final Evaluation...MRG Street Theatre programme final evaluation May 2013 [email protected] Page iii enabled by an overall advocacy strategy at

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StreetTheatreProgramme:FinalEvaluationMinorityRightsGroup

TeresaHanley

MRGStreetTheatreprogrammefinalevaluationMay2013teresa_hanley@dsl.pipex.com Pageii

ExecutiveSummary

TheMinorityRightsGroup(MRG)StreetTheatreProgrammeaimstocontributetogreatersocialcohesionandinter-communityunderstandinginfourcountries:Botswana,DominicanRepublic,Kenya,andRwanda.MRGandcountrypartnersusedadramaandstreettheatreapproachtochallengecommonlyheldracistattitudesandnegativestereotypesofminoritiesandindigenouspeoples.ThiswasanewundertakingforMRGanditspartners.Theevaluationaimstoprovideanindependentassessmentofachievements,challengesandlearninginparticulartocontributetofutureprogrammesMRGmayundertake.

Performances-Theprogrammeachievedresultswhichvastlyexceededitstargetsreachingover60,000peoplecomparedtothetargetof5200throughperformancesandfilmscreenings.Theperformancesreflectcommunityexperiencesofdiscriminationbutthroughengagingstorylineswithhumourandtragedy.Theperformanceandcompositionoftheactinggroups,whichbroughttogetheractorsfromthemajorityandminoritycommunitiesconfrontedstereotypes.Minoritycommunityinvolvementinshapingtheperformancestorylinesthroughactors'communityvisits,fromminoritycommunityactorsinthegroupandthroughpilotstovalidateperformanceswereimportantandeffective.

Discussionsduringandpost-performanceeffectivelyengagedsomemembersofaudiencesinconsideringtheirownbehaviour.Thedepthoftheseishardtoassessfrommonitoringdata.Followupvisitsundertakeninoneprogrammecountry,Kenyaenabledgreaterdepthtodiscussionsamongthecommunity.Externalconstraintsonfrankdiscussionsofethnicity,suchasinRwanda,limitedtherangeofdiscussion.ChallengestoengagemajoritypopulationsnotablyinDominicanRepublicpresenteddifficultiestotheprogramme.

Audiencesreportedthattheywereengagedintheperformancesduetothestrengthofstory-linesandthroughanemotionalresponse.TheyalsowerestruckbythepowerofseeingdiscriminationandconflictdemonstratedratherthanonlybeingtalkedaboutwhichdifferentiatedtheMRG/partners’approachfromothers.Carefulplanningandmarketingofperformancessignificantlyincreasedthenumbersattendingperformances,notablyinKenyaandRwanda.

Media-Streettheatreprovidedameanstoincreasemediacoverageofminoritycommunities.Agoodrangeoftelevision,radio,pressandonlinemediawerereachedbypartnerswithassociatedlargeaudiencespotentiallyreachedthroughtheseoutlets.Socialmediaprovedsuccessfulingeneratingdiscussionparticularlyamongtheyoung.Theextentofcoveragewasstronglycorrelatedtotheresourcesandeffortputintoachievingitbythepartnerandvariedwidely.

Whilethereweretargetsformediacoveragewhichwerereached,therewasnotanoverallorcountryspecificmediastrategy.Thedevelopmentofsuchastrategycouldhavestrengthenedmediaengagementfurtherwhichinturncouldhavestrengtheneddialoguearoundstereotypesandfurtherimpactedontheprogrammeoverallaims.

Advocacy-Allpartnersachievedthetargets.Theflexibilityintheprogrammeenabledpartners’tocapitaliseonopportunitiesandpursueprioritiestheyidentifiedthemselveswithafocusonadvocacyinactioninKenyainadvanceoftheelectionandonpolicyinothercountries.However,fargreatersuccesswouldhavebeen

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enabledbyanoveralladvocacystrategyatnationalandinternationallevels.Partnersnotedthattheywouldhaveappreciatedmoreinputonadvocacythroughtheprogramme,inadditiontoinputsatthepartnersmeetings.Inputtothewiderpartnerorganisation,reachingseniormanagementbeyondtheprogrammeteams,byMRGcouldhavebeenbeneficialhere.

Inrelationtotheoverallaimtheevaluationfoundtheprogrammehasbeenmosteffectiveinbuildingtheconfidenceofminoritygroupstoarticulatetheirsituationandamongsomegroupstochallengeracism.Thepeoplemostimpactedbytheprogrammeweretheactors,boththeprofessionalandcommunityactors.Theprofessionalactorscommentedontheawarenesstheygainedofminoritiesanddiscriminationintheircountrieswithanumberofthemnowstatingtheyareactiveinchallengingracism.Theminoritycommunityactorsgainedconfidenceandopportunitiestopresenttheircommunityinpublicarenas.

MRGprovidedveryeffectivesupporttopartnersandallpartnerscommentedonthehighqualityoftherelationship,appreciatingthesupportprovidedbutalsotheflexibilitythattheprogrammeallowedforlocalcustomisationoftheapproachtotheircountrycontext.Someincreasedinputsatthestartofeachpartner’sengagementinrelationtoclarityaboutreporting,financialmanagementandfund-raisingresponsibilitiesisrecommended.

Partnersidentifiednewcapacitiestheygainedfromtheprogrammeincludinginstreettheatre,fund-raisingandproposalandreportwritingskills,newlinkswithnewdonors,newlinkswithdecision-makersinRwandaandBotswanaaswellaslinkswithnewconstituenciessuchastheyouthinthecaseofBotswana.

Theprogrammeachievedmorethanwasplannedintermsofthequantitativetargetsforaudiences.Theprogrammehassuccessfullyshownthepotentialofstreettheatretomakeasignificantcontributiontobuildingtherightsofminoritygroupsinarangeofdifferentcountry,political,socialandeconomiccontexts.MRGandpartnersdealtwellwithchallengesandopportunitiestheexternalenvironmentpresented.Theexperiencehashighlightedthepotentialformuchgreaterimpactwithsomeadjustmentstotheprogrammedesignandresourcingoutlinedbelow.

Learningandrecommendationforfutureprogrammes

1. Programmedesignprocess-ensuretimeforamoreparticipatoryprogrammedesignprocesswhichincludesa)partnercapacityassessmentandb)countrycontexttoidentifylinkagesthatwouldbenefittheprogramme'simpact.SuchaprocessrequiresresourceswhichisdifficultforarelativelysmallNGOwithlimitedornocorefunding.Buildinginaninceptionphaseforcountry-specificprogrammeplanningisusefulforfutureprogrammes.LearningfordonorsmaybetoconsidermeanstoenableNGOstoinvestinmoredetailedcommunity-basedprogrammeassessment,designandplanningthroughresourcesforinstanceforthosewhichsucceedinthefirstphaseofapplicationprocesses.

2. Sustainability–buildinmoreresourcesforfollowuptocommunitiesfollowingperformances.Explorethepotentialofbuildingcommunity-baseddramagroupsincommunitieswherethepartnersperformtosustaindialogueincommunities.

3. Mediaandmarketing–ensuresufficienttimeisallowedtoenablemarketingofperformancesandresourcesavailabletoengagethemedia,actingonopportunitiesforinterviewsandpromotingtheirattendanceatperformancesandspecialeventse.g.pressconferences.Providetrainingforactors,artisticandpartnerstaffwhowillbeinterviewedinthemediatoensurekeymessagesare

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communicated.DevelopasharedmediaengagementstrategybetweenpartnersandMRGatcountryandinternationalleveltoengagelocalandinternationalmediatosustainthedialogueonstereotypeswhichperformancesandscreeningsstimulate.

4. Advocacy–establishclarityregardingtheadvocacyaimsandmessagesatnationalandinternationallevelsthrougheachpartnerdevelopinganadvocacystrategyandplan.DevelopasharedadvocacystrategyandplanincludingMRGactionattheinternationallevel.

5. Evidenceandlearning–buildingreaterresourcesforfutureprogrammestofacilitatethegatheringofevidenceandlearningthroughouttheprogramme(inparticulartodevelopandtestwaystoassessthelongtermimpactofperformancesonaudiencemembers).

6. MRGsupport-Provideevenmoretechnicalinputtopartnersinmarketing,mediaengagement,advocacyandmonitoringandevaluation.

7. Linkages-Supportpartnerstoidentifywaystolinkthestreettheatreprogrammetotheirotheractivitiestomaximiseimpact.Wheretheydonothavetheexpertiseorcapacitytofollowuponissuesraisedbyminoritycommunitieswhichinthecaseofthisprogrammeincludeawide-rangingofsubjectssuchaslandtenure,poverty,employmentandeducationbuildintothestrategyanapproachtobuildpartnershipsforfollow-up.Throughthese,otherorganisationswithexpertiseintheseareascansustaintherelationshipandsupportforthecommunity.ExplorelinkageswithotherMRGprogrammeswhicharerelevantsuchasmediaandadvocacytrainingactivities.Buildoninternallearning,successfulexperienceandchallengesfromthisprogrammeinmakingsuchlinkageshappen.

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TableofContents

ExecutiveSummary.............................................................................................................................................ii

Acknowledgements...........................................................................................................................................vii

Acronymsandglossary......................................................................................................................................vii

1.Introduction....................................................................................................................................................1

1.1Programmeaims.......................................................................................................................................1

1.2Context......................................................................................................................................................1

1.3Evaluationaims.........................................................................................................................................3

2.Methodology...................................................................................................................................................3

3.Results-achievements,challengesandconclusions.....................................................................................4

3.1Result1......................................................................................................................................................4

3.2Result2......................................................................................................................................................9

3.3Results3..................................................................................................................................................12

4.Long-termimpact..........................................................................................................................................15

5.Discussion-keyissues....................................................................................................................................18

5.1Programmedesign..................................................................................................................................18

5.2Gendermainstreaming............................................................................................................................19

5.3Partnercapacities...................................................................................................................................20

5.4Monitoring,EvaluationandLearning......................................................................................................22

5.5Streettheatre,attitudesandsocialcohesion.........................................................................................24

6.ConclusionsandRecommendations.............................................................................................................25

Annexes.............................................................................................................................................................29

Annex1 Termsofreference....................................................................................................................29

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Annex2 Peopleinvolvedinevaluation...................................................................................................29

Annex3 Interviewanddiscussionchecklists...........................................................................................29

Annex4 Performanceandcontentanalysis............................................................................................29

Annex5 Countrypartnerresults.............................................................................................................29

Annex6 Partnermonitoringforms-RwandaandKenya........................................................................29

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AcknowledgementsIwouldliketothankthestaffatMRGandtheirpartnersfortheirsupportandopennesswhilstIwasundertakingthisevaluation.StaffofMUDHA,RETENG,SAFEandYWCAandaswellasatMRGSofia,Laura,GinaandClairewereextremelyhelpful.InparticularIamalsogratefultoalltheparticipantsfromRwanda,Kenya,BotswanaandDominicanRepublicatcommunityandotherlevelswhotookpartintheevaluationandsharedtheirlearningandexperiencestodiscusswhatcanbeverysensitiveissues.

Acronymsandglossary

CSO CivilSocietyOrganisation

DR DominicanRepublic

EU EuropeanUnion

MRG MinorityRightsGroup

MUDHA MovementofDominican-HaitianWomen

RETENG Multi-culturalcoalitionofBotswana

SAFE SponsoredArtsforEducation

YWCA YoungWomen’sChristianAssociation

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1.Introduction

1.1ProgrammeaimsTheoverallaimofMinorityRightGroup's(MRG)StreetTheatreProgrammeistocontributetogreatersocialcohesionandinter-communityunderstandinginfourcountries:Botswana,DominicanRepublic,Kenya,andRwanda.Themorespecificobjectiveistousedramaandstreettheatretochallengecommonlyheldracistattitudesandnegativestereotypesofminoritiesandindigenouspeoplesinfourprogrammecountries.

Theexpectedresultsare:

• Racistattitudesarechallengedbystreettheatreeventsheldineachofthefourcountries.• Mediacoverageofstreettheatreproductionschallengesracistattitudesheldbymanyofthe

majoritypopulationineachfocuscountry• Atleastonepolicymakerwhocaninfluencepoliciesonsocialcohesionwhetherdirectlyor

indirectlyineachcountrymakesapositivecommentaboutastreettheatreeventorthefilm.

AstreettheatreapproachwasanewinitiativeforMinorityRightsGroupasitwasforsomeoftheirpartnersintheprogramme.ThisevaluationaimstobebothanindependentassessmentoftheachievementsandchallengesoftheprogrammebutalsoarecordandanalysisoflearningtofeedintofutureprogrammesofMRG.ThestreettheatreprogrammebeganinJanuary2010andranforthreeyears.Someofitsmainactivitiesweretherecruitmentofcommunityactors(inthreecountries)tojoinprofessionalactorstodevelopandperformaproduction;thedevelopment,pilotingandrolloutoftheproduction;makingofafilmdrawingonallfourpartners’experiencesfornationalandinternationalscreeningsaswellasfournationalfilms;mediawork;advocacyandpartners.Meetingsfortrainingandtoshareexperienceaswellasmonitoringandevaluation.

1.2ContextTheprogrammeworkedwithinfourspecificcountrycontextsandsomekeyfeaturesofeacharebelow.

a) Botswana• Countrypartner–RETENG–anumbrellaorganisationofminorities’associationswhichhas

beenalong-termpartnerofMRGworkingmainlyondocumentationofminorityrightsissuesandpromotionofminoritycommunities’cultures.

• Minorityrightsissuesandcontext-TheBotswanaconstitutionnamesjusttheeight“major”tribesofBotswanarenderingtheothergroupsinvisibleconstitutionallydespitetheircollectivenumbersbeinggreaterthantheeightmajoritygroups.ThenationallanguagesusedforofficialpurposesinBotswanaareEnglishandSetswana.Thelanguagesofminoritygroupshavebeenidentifiedbythegovernmentasappropriateforprivateusebutnotforformalprocesses.Theyarenotheardinthemainstreammedia.


b) DominicanRepublic(DR)• Countrypartner–MUDHA-along-termpartnerofMRGaimstoimprovethelivesof

vulnerablepeopleparticularlyinrelationtohealth,educationandhumanrightsawareness.Itfocusesonwomen’srightsandtheHaitian-descendentpopulation.

• Countrycontext-ThemainminoritygrouptheprogrammewasconcernedwithwastheHaitian-descendentpopulationinDR.AkeyissueisthelackofidentitycardsorcitizenshipaffordedHaitiansortheirdescendants.ThishasleftmorethanagenerationstatelesswithneithercitizenshipofDRnorofHaiti.

c) Kenya• Countrypartner–SAFE–SponsoredArtsforEducation.ThisisanewpartnerforMRG.Itis

specialisedinuseoftheatreforsocialoutcomesandworksacrossKenya.• DuetoproblemswiththeoriginalprogrammepartnerSAFEwasapproachedbyMRGinApril

2011andcontractsforcooperationweresignedinOctober2011followinginternaldiscussionsandSAFEsecuringanEUPADORnumber.SAFEimplementedtheprogrammeovera15monthperiodin2011-12.Theprogrammetookplaceintheyearrunninguptothenextgeneralelection.The2007electionhadbeencharacterisedbyextremeethnicviolence.Thereare42maintribesorethnicgroupsinKenya.AlargescaleeffortacrossKenyainvolvingcivilsocietyincludingNGOs,thechurchandotherreligiousgroups,governmentandpoliticalleadershadbeenworkingsincethepreviouselectionstotrytoestablishacontextforapeaceful2013election.InthecoastalregionwherethisprogrammetookplaceasecessionistmovementledbytheMombasaRepublicanCouncilwasurgingpeoplenottotakepartintheelectionandthroughintimidation“encouraging”peoplefromtheHighlands,ordescendedfrompeoplefromtheHighlands/Wabaratoleavethecoastalarea.Thisresultedinacontextinwhichthegroupswhoarethenationalmajority,theWabarabeinginapositionofminorityinthecoastalarea.Atthesametime,theactualnationalminoritygroupsinthecoastalareascontinuedtosufferwhattheyviewasadisproportionatenumberofjobs,landandotherresourcesbeingtakenbyWabara.Themainmessageoftheprogrammewasnottopromotetherightsofanyparticulargroupbutrathertopromoteapeacefulapproachincludingactiveparticipationintheelections,toreconcilingdifferences,decision-makingandbuildingKenya.OtherchangesunderwayinKenyarelevanttotheprogrammeincludetheestablishmentofanewconstitutionanddevolution.

d) Rwanda• Countrypartner–YWCAisanewpartnerforMRGinRwanda.Followingproblemswiththe

initialpartner,MRGidentifiedandagreedwithYWCAtoworktogetheronthisprogramme.• ThesedelaysmeantthattheYWCAimplementedtheprogrammein18monthsfrommid-

2011.TheprogrammefocusedonissuesoftheBatwacommunitywhoareestimatedtonumbersome30,000andwhohavebeendiscriminatedagainstbymajoritypopulationofHutusandTutsisalike.However,sincethegenocidethegovernmenthastakenanapproach


inwhichethicidentityisnotdiscussednoridentifiedintheinterestofbuildingacommonRwandanidentity.Inrecentyearshumanrightsorganisationshavesufferedseveresetbacksandclosuresinthecountry.AskingapersontheirethnicidentitywasnotallowedthoughtherehavebeensignsofaslightlymorerelaxedapproachtothisstanceinthepasttwoyearsatleastintermsoftheBatwa.

1.3EvaluationaimsThisevaluationseekstoidentifywhetherallplannedactivitieswereundertakentoareasonablyhighqualityandtheextentoftheircontributiontotheplannedresults.ItconsidershowtheMRGteamdealtwithproblemsandnewopportunitiestheyencountered.Italsodiscussestheextenttowhichtheprogrammehasalreadyorislikelytocontributetotheoverallaim.Itconsidershowtheprogrammehasrespondedtothechallengesandopportunitiespresentedbychangesandunexpectedeventsintheexternalenvironment.

GiventhatthisisanewapproachforMRGandmostofitsprogrammepartnerstheevaluationalsosoughttobealearningprocesstoprovidelessonsandrecommendationsforfutureworkthroughstreettheatre.

2.MethodologyTheevaluationemployedbothquantitativeandqualitativemethods.Itincluded:

• Reviewofrelevantdocumentationincludingprogrammereports,monitoringdata,outputsoftheprogrammeincludingfilms,photographs.

• Reviewofmediacoverageinfourcountries.• Analysisofstreettheatreperformancethroughscript,filmandinterviewincludinganalysis

ofhowaudienceswereinvolved(summaryattachedinannex4).• InterviewswithMRGstaff(currentandpast)involvedintheprogrammeincluding

consultantsandadvisors.• Visitstothreecountries(Botswana,Kenya,andRwanda)involvedintheprogrammeand

interviewsanddiscussionswithpartnerstaffandboard,actors,artisticdirectors,majorityandminoritycommunitymembersandadvocacytargets.

• ObservationofafilmscreeninginKenya.• InterviewsbyphonewithstakeholdersinDominicanRepublic.

Atotalof57interviewswereundertakenandafurther71people(35menand36women)tookpartin7focusgroupdiscussionsatcommunitylevel.AfulllistofparticipantsisavailableinAnnex2.TheevaluationwasundertakenbyTeresaHanley.InterviewswithDominicanRepublic-basedstakeholderswerecarriedoutinSpanishbyAngeladePrairie.

TheevaluationmethodologydrawsontheexistingmonitoringdatagatheredbyMRGforquantitativeanalysiswhichwasverifiedduringevaluationvisits.Amixtureofinterviewsandfocusgroupdiscussionswereusedtogatherqualitativedatawithtranslationprovidedbytranslatorsandpartnerstaffwhereappropriateandneeded.TheevaluatorvisitedonecommunityeachinBotswanaandRwandaandfivecommunitiesinKenya.DRinterviewswerecarriedoutbyphone.


Theevaluationofthistypeofprogrammeischallenging.Understandingattitudesisacomplexprocessparticularlywhendiscussingissueswhichpeoplemayfinddifficulttodiscussopenlyandhonestly,i.e.theholdingofracistattitudes.Themethodsselectedwereappropriategiventhescaleoftheprogrammeandtheaimsandresourcesavailablefortheevaluation.Over30evaluatordayswerespentontheevaluationintotal.However,themethodologyislimitedintermsoftheextentofcommunity–basedinformationgathereddirectlybytheevaluation.Futureevaluationswouldbestrengthenedbytheinclusionofamuchgreaternumberofcommunities,morein-depthprocesseswithcommunitymembersintheirownlanguage(maybethroughtrainedlocalevaluationteams)toexplorepastandcurrentattitudesaswellasfollowupwithmoreadvocacytargets.

3.Results-achievements,challengesandconclusions

Theprogrammeaimedtoachievethreeresultsanditsetindicatorstotrackprogress.Thissectiondealswiththeachievementsandchallengesinrelationtoeachresultinturn.

3.1Result1Ø Racistattitudesarechallengedbystreettheatreeventsheldineachofthefourcountries.

a)PlannedandactualresultsIndicators Progresstowardstargets

Atleast1,300peopleseeaproductionineachcountry.Atleast8eventsheldineachcountry.

Numberofeventsandtotalaudience:Ø Botswana-21eventswith3010audiencemembersintotalmadeup

of1822atstreettheatreperformancesand1188atfilmscreenings;Ø DR-35eventswith4862audiencemembersintotalmadeupof

2694atstreettheatreperformancesand866atfilmscreenings;Ø Kenya-48eventswith43,473audiencemembersintotalmadeup

of35,333atstreettheatreperformancesand8140atfilmscreenings(notincludingcommunityeducationdaysandleadershipworkshops–seebelow;

Ø Rwanda-18eventswith15,980audiencemembersintotalmadeupof8892atstreettheatreperformancesand7090atfilmscreenings.

Theactualnumberofeventsandsizeofaudiencesvastlyexceededthetargets.Thiswasaidedinsomeplacese.g.KenyaandBotswanabygreatermatchfundingenablingascalingupofactivities.ThisfundingwasleveragedbytheEUfundsandwaswithintheprogrammeperiodsotheseeventsandaudiencesarecountedhere.

50%ofasampleoftheaudienceaskedaquestionabouttheirattitudesindicatethattheproduction

Datagatheredbythepartnersshowedthatwelloverthetargetof50%(averagepercountyrangefrom85-100%)ofsampledaudiencesindicatedtheproductionsmadethemthinkagainabouttheirviews.


hasmadethemthinkagainorchangetheirviewsaboutaparticularminoritycommunityorminoritiesingeneral(totalsamplesizetobeatleast130percountry)

Howevermethodologiesforsamplingandgatheringdatavariedwidelyasdidthequestionsaskedwhichlimitsbothcomparativeanalysisofthedataandalsotheextenttowhichithelpsunderstandwhatearlierattitudeswereandwhataspectswerechallengedorevenchanged.Alsoitisnotpossibletoknowtheextenttowhichtheseareminorityormajoritypopulationviews.However,evaluationinterviewsconfirmedthatstereotypesofminoritygroupswerechallengedbyperformancesregardingstereotypesoflevelsofdevelopment,intelligence,beautyandabilitytochange.

50%ofthesamesampleindicatesthattheyplantomentionhavingseentheproductionanditsmessagestooneormorefriends,familymembers,orcolleagues.

64-95%ofsampledaudiencesmentionedtheywouldtalkabouttheproductiontoothers.Samplingdidnotusuallycheckwhatmessagestheyhadtakenandwhetherthesewouldbeshared.Evaluationdataidentifiedthatsomeofthekeymessagesthatwerepassedonbypeoplefollowingperformanceswerearoundnationalunity,peaceandtheneedalltoworktogetherfortheircountries’benefit.

b)Achievementsandchallengesi)Overview

Alltheplannedactivitiesoftheprogrammeunderthisresultwereachieved.Eachofthecountriesputtogetherastrongteamofactorsincludingprofessionalsandthosefromtheminoritycommunitiesandincludinganearbalanceofmenandwomen.SAFEalreadyhadagroupoftrainedactorsdrawnfromdifferentcommunitiesinMombasa.GiventhelatestartforthenewpartnerinKenyathisenabledthemtoworkmuchfasterandtocompletetheperformanceswithintheschedule.

ii)Trainingandpreparation

InBotswana,DRandRwandathenewgroupsofactorsspenttimetogetherintheminoritycommunities.Theactorsfromthemajoritypopulationfoundthevisittominoritycommunitiesanimmenselyinfluentialexperience.Manywereshockedatthepovertytheysawandhowpeoplelivedtheirlives.

Theprocessofself-analysisprovedtobeimportantfortheactors.InKenyathegroupdescribedtheimportanceoftheirownworkshopanalysingtheirownexperiencesofdiscriminationandprejudice.OthergroupsrefertodifficultiesfoundinthegroupswithanexampleinBotswanaofmajoritypopulationactorrefusingtosharearoomwithaminorityactor.Theexampleshowshowdeeplysomeoftheattitudesrunaswellasmaybethelimitsofashort-termtheatreprogrammetochangeattitudes.Peopleneedtobeopentochange.

Voicetrainingwascrucialfortheactors,evenamongtheprofessionalactorsitwasthefirsttimeforsometobeworkinginoutsideperformances.

iii)Schedule


Thefourcountriesfollowedquitedifferentschedulesduemainlytologisticalandefficiencyissues.Therewasnonoticeabledifferenceintermsofresultsrelatedtothescheduleofperformances.

iv)Challengingdiscrimination

Discriminationwaschallengedthroughtwoapproaches:thepresentationofdiscriminatorybehaviourintheperformanceandthroughdiscussionandinsomecasesportrayalofhowdiscriminationcanbechallenged.Ineachofthefourperformancesracistordiscriminatoryattitudeswerechallengedbythecontent(seeAnnex4).Intervieweescommentedonthepoweroftheimageofminorityandmajorityactorsworkingtogether,thoughtheirbackgroundwasoftennotrevealeduntiltheendoftheplay.Communityvisits,minoritycommunityactors’involvementinperformancedevelopmentandpilotperformancesprovidedgoodmeanstoensurethatthecontentofplayswasinformedbytheminoritygroups,wasaccurateandsupportedbythoseexperiencingdiscrimination.Oneofthemostfrequentcommentsheardintheevaluationfromtheminoritypopulationwasthattheplay’scontentwas"realistic”.

Communityactorsnotedtheexperienceofactingtogetherwithprofessionals,beingabletopresenttheircommunities,usetheirlanguagesandnametheircommunitiesasmostimportantfactors.“Discriminationhasbeengoingonforyears.Iwashappytherewasroomtoexpresswhathashappened.Thiswasanopportunityforustosaytothemajoritypopulationwhatishappeningtous”.Jeanne,communityactor,Rwanda.AsanotherstakeholderinDRsaid,”theprogrammedefiedracism.ItallowedHaitianpeopletosayinpublic“Iamhere.Iamlikethis…”(CommunitymemberworkingwithMUDHA).

TheplaysprovidedameanstoputforwardissueswhichwouldotherwisenotappearinthepublicdomainsuchastheBatwa,HaitianandBotswanaminorityexperiences.Theyshowedexamplesofdiscriminatorybehaviourandlanguagewhichledaudiencemembersandactorstocommentthattheyhadnotpreviouslyrealisedtheywerediscriminatory.

Minoritieswerenotalwaysreferredtodirectly.ForinstanceinKenyaimaginarytribalnameswereusedintheplayanddiscussionswouldusecategoriesofnorthandsoutherncommunitiestorefertodivisions.Thisprovedtobeagoodwaytoenableallgroupstocontinueinthediscussion.Theevaluationfoundthatmembersofthegroupsthatmaybeaccusedofbeingdiscriminatoryappreciatedbeingabletotakepartinadiscussionwhichdidnotdirectlynameorjudgethem.InRwandarestrictionsaboutnamingethnicgroupsmadeitdifficulttoconductwide-rangingdiscussions.TheplaydoesrefertoBatwadirectly;abravemovewhenthegovernmentinsiststhatHistoricallyMarginalisedPeopleistheofficialtitletobeused.InBotswana,thenamingofgroupsnotnamedintheconstitutionwassignificantforminoritygroupsviewingtheperformances.

Theuseofhumourandemotionalstorylinesservedtoengageapopulation.Filmandphotographicdatatogetherwithreportsheardbytheevaluationrevealtheextentoftheemotionalresponseofaudiencestotheperformances,particularlyfromminoritygroupsseeingissuescommonintheirownlivesportrayed,somethingnotusuallyseen.

Akeyparttochallengingattitudeswasthroughthediscussionsduringandattheendoftheplay.Thiswascarriedoutindifferentwaysineachcountry.InKenya,pilotsidentifiedtheneedforthe


introductionofa“joker”toensureaudiencesatahalf-waypointdidnotthinktheywerewatchingarerunofpartoftheplayandsoloseinterestbutratherthattheycouldbecomeinvolvedandidentifywhatshouldhappentoavoidconflictinthissecondhalfoftheperformance.InBotswanatheartisticdirectorinvolvedtheaudienceatkeypointsduringtheplay.InBotswanaandDRdiscussionstookplacemainlyfollowingtheperformance.Fromthesediscussionsitwaspossibletoidentifysomeofthemessagesthatpeopleweretakingfromtheperformances.Messagesincludedsurpriseattheskillsoftheminorityactorsandtheissuesraisedthatminoritycommunitymembersarecapableofthesamejobsasthemajority.Theevaluationfoundthatpeopleoftenreferredtomessagesofunityandtheneedtoworktogether.TheevaluationinterviewsinKenyafoundcommunitymembersrememberedmessagesoftheneedtovote,toavoidcorruptpoliticiansandtoensureyoungpeoplewerenotmanipulatedbypoliticianstodisruptelectionsorcauseviolence.MonitoringdatahadshownincreasesinthenumbersofpeopleidentifyingasKenyanfollowingtheperformance.

Theplayssucceededinopeningupissuesfordiscussionandincreasingpeople’sawarenessofdiscriminatorybehaviour.Theymadevisibleexperienceswhichoftengounnoticed.

“Thestreettheatreprogrammewasamorecreativewaytotalkaboutataboosubjectthatpeopledeny….theydon’tadmitthereisdiscriminationintheDR.Thegeneralsentimentisanti-blackbutsinceitisexpressedasanti-Haitianitnotconsidereddiscrimination”MUDHAstaff.

“Wewanttomakepeopleawarethatcertainlanguageisdiscriminatory.Theyaresousedtousingittheydon’tknow.Minoritiesaresousedtohearingtheydon’tknow”–Botswanainterviewee.

“TheplaywasaneyeopenertomebecauseasIwasactingIrealisedthatsomeofthethingsbeingsaidintheplaywerewhatIdidandgotmehopingwechangeourattitude”professionalactor,Botswana.

iv)Audiences

Audiencefiguresvariedwidely.BothRwandaandBotswanaincludedactorswellknowntothecommunitywhichseemstohaveattractedaudiences.Inallcountriestheevaluationfoundthataudiencesappreciatedandweredrawnbytheirowncommunitymembersbeinginthecast.InRwandaandKenya,thecountrieswhichattractedthelargestaudiences,prioradvertisingthroughpostersand/orleadersincommunitieswereusefulmarketingtechniquesalongwithanapproachinKenyaofplayingmusicandbuildingupanatmosphereandexcitementaroundtheperformanceontheday.InBotswanaandDRthechoiceofwheretoperform–inindoorfacilitiesinBotswana’sfirstroundofperformances,inrelativelysmallvenuesinDRandinBotswanaalongwithverylimitedadvertisinginadvance,dueinparttoplanningeventsatrelativelyshortnoticearelikelytohavecontributedtothesmallernumbers.

MUDHAinDRfaceddifficultiesattimestogainpermitstoperforminsomelocationsbutthemajorchallengewasingatheringanaudiencefromtheDR(non-Haitiandescendent)population.Insomecommunitiestheteamhadtogodoortodoortoencouragepeopletoattendperformances.Theyalsostruggledwithmaintainingpeople’sattentionwhentheywereinopenspacessurroundedbynoiseandactivity.Ontheotherhandithadgoodsuccessintouringthedocumentaryfilmtoschools.

v)Challenges


Eachcountryexperiencedsignificantchallengesduringtheprogramme’slifetime.ThefounderandExecutiveDirectoroftheDRpartner,MUDHAdiedsuddenlyduringtheprogramme’slifetime.MRGhadtofindnewpartnerstoworkwithinRwandaandKenyaduetoproblemswiththeoriginalpartners.TensionsaroundtheelectioninKenyamadesecurityamajorconcernforactorsthoughonlyoneperformancewascancelledwhenaMuslimclericwasshotdowninMombasa.However,twoactorsreportedhavingtomovehouseduetothreatstheyreceived.SometimesthegroupwasperceivedasarguingthecaseforthehighlandersagainsttheMRCratherthantheirmessageofunityandunderstandingbeingheard.AndinBotswanafundingdifficultiestofindmatchfundingandabilitytocopewithsuddenincreasesinfuelcostscausedissues.Inaddition,theymetwithfearsfrombothmajorityandminoritycommunitiesthattheissuestheyareraisingmightleadtoconflictinthecountry.

TimingwasanissueinallcountrieswiththeKenyateamsayingthatcommunitieswantedtheirinvolvementoveralongertimeperiod–2-3daysratherthan1-2;inBotswanaperformancesandtimeinthecommunitycouldbeveryshortwiththeteamreachingthreeplacesinonedayinthesecondroundofperformancesin2012.TheRETENGBoardencouragedtheteamtoworkatthispacemaybenotunderstandingfullythepotentialandneedfortimeinthecommunitybeforeandafterperformancesforeffectiveness.

AchallengeinRwandawasfindingagreementbetweenYWCAandMRGoftheappropriateapproachforthecountry.MRGencourageddiscussionofhumanrights,identificationoftheBatwacommunityandnamingofracism.YWCAarguedintheRwandancontextthiswasnotappropriateorpossible.Theywantedamoreinclusivemessagefocusonreconciliation.Theneedalsofortheauthoritiestoapprovetheperformancescriptalsolimiteditscontentandflexibility.AcompromisewasfoundwithamoreintegratedmessageinlinewiththeRwandangovernmentpolicybutwiththenamingoftheBatwacommunityintheplay.

AfinalchallengewhichaffectedimplementationoccurredinyearthreewhenMRGandpartnersfaceddifficultiesinsecuringthematchfundingrequiredfortheprogramme.Thisdelayedsomeactivities,notablytheEuropeanfilmscreeningsbysomemonthsuntilfundingwassecured.Theeconomicclimatealongwithdonors'cautionaboutsupporttoartsindevelopmentcombinedtomakethesecuringofsuchfundingextremelydifficult.

c)ConclusionsDespitethenotinsignificantchallengesfacedbyMRGandpartnerstheprogrammeachievedresultswhichvastlyexceededtheintendednumbersplannedintheprogrammeproposal.MRGrespondedswiftlytoissuesidentified,suchasfindingappropriateorganisationsasnewpartnerswhichhadtheinterestandcapacitytoimplementthisinnovativeprogrammewithinthetimescale.TheEUwassupportiveofsuchpartnerchange.SAFEmanagedthesecuritychallengeinKenyawithsensitivity,safeguardingthesecurityofstaff,volunteersandcommunitiesbutmaintainingthemomentumoftheprogrammeasfaraspossible.

Thecontentandstyleofperformancetogetherwiththecompositionoftheactinggroupspresentedimagestoaudiencesnotoftenseenandissuesnotoftenpubliclydiscussedineachcountry.IneachcountryMRGandpartnercarefullynegotiatedthecontexttofitwithwhatisallowedbutalsopushedalittleatthoseboundariesusingtheflexibilityandfreedomthattheatrecanprovidetoraise


issues.Audiencesreportedthatmessagesreachedthemduetotheemotionalcontent,theirresponseandalsoduetothepowerofseeingdiscriminationandconflictdemonstratedratherthanonlybeingtalkedaboutwhichdifferentiatedtheMRG/partners’approachfromothers.Carefulplanningandmarketingofperformancessignificantlyincreasedthenumbersattendingperformances,notablyinKenyaandRwanda.

3.2Result2

Mediacoverageofstreettheatreproductionschallengesracistattitudesheldbymanyofthemajoritypopulationineachfocuscountry

a)Plannedandactualresults

Indicators ProgresstowardstargetsAtleastonenationaland5regionalmediastoriesineachprogrammecountry

o Botswana-5storiescoveredon4nationalTV,radioandprintoutlets.

o DR–47storiespublishedthrough35outletsincluding10internationalincludingprint,radio,onlineandTV

o Kenya-Nomediacoverageduringtheprogrammeperiod.ThefinalfilmcreatedaspartoftheprogrammeandlaunchedinMarch2013didgainsignificantcoverageinnational,particularlyNairobi-based,someinternationalmediaandwasairedonnationalTV-CitizenTVthenightbeforetheelection.Thisincluded15featuresinprintandbroadcastmedia;italsoincludedafullcampaignacrosssocialmediausingtwitter,FacebookandYouTube.

o Rwanda-21storieswerepublishedinamixofonline,printandradio.Thenationalfilmscreeninggeneratedmostcoverage.

20minutefilmisshownatlauncheventsineachoffourcountries,extracts/audiomaterialsappearonatleastonenationalnetworkandoneinternationalbroadcaster

Eachofthefourcountriesmadeafilmwhichwasshownatlauncheventsineachcountry.InthecaseofYWCA,Rwandatheymadetwofilms–adocumentaryoftheprogrammeusedforfund-raisingandprofile-raisingaswellasafilmversionoftheplay.TheKenyanfilm,supportedwithadditionalexternalfundsandcompletedaftertheprogrammeperiodinMarch2013wasafilmversionoftheplay.TheBotswanafilmisadocumentarywithsubstantialpartsoftheplayscreened.TheDRfilmisadocumentaryalsowithpartsoftheplayandwasscreenedonnationalTV.Noextractswerecoveredbyaninternationalbroadcaster.Theinternationalfilm,SaymyNamedrawingontheexperienceofallfourcountrieswasshowninallcountriesexceptRwandawherealinktoitwasavailableontheYWCAwebsitebutitwasjudgedby


thepartnernottofitwiththecountry’sapproachtodiscussingethnicityi.e.nottomentionanybyname.

b)Achievementsandchallenges

Mediacoverageoftheprogrammevariedwidelybetweencountriesandtoalargeextentwasdependentontheresourcesputintothisactivity.BothYWCAandMUDHAachievedsignificantcoveragethatoftenincludedsomekeymessagesaboutdiscriminationandissuesfacedbyminorityorganisations.MUDHAputalotofeffortintogeneratingsuchcoverageforinstanceholdingtwopressconferencesaswellasinvitingjournaliststoallperformances.Itwasanachievementtogetmediacoverageofissuesnotusuallycoveredinthemainstreammedia,particularlyinBotswana,RwandaandDR.“Youdon’tusuallyseeBatwainthemedia-onlyindancetroupeswhentheydotheirtraditionaldance”(professionalactor,Rwanda)

Analysisofthemediacoverageshowsthattheperformancetendedtobethestoryfeatured.Interviewswiththeactorswereimportantinprovidingameanstosharetheexperienceoftheplayanditsmessages.Theactorsplayedanimportantinfluenceontheextenttowhichmediacoverageincludedkeymessagesofchallengingstereotypes,albeitthattheywereoftenframedwithintheparameterspossibleinthenationalcontext.ForexampleinRwandastereotypeswerechallengesbutinparallelwithtalkingabouttheneedtoreachtheBatwacommunityforthemtochangeaswellasthosewhodiscriminateagainstthem.Forinstanceinthisinterviewquotedfrombelow,theYWCAspokespersonemphasisestheroleoftheBatwacommunity.

".....TheYWCAChairperson,ErnestineKaligirwa,explainedthattheplayaimsatchangingthemind-sets,attitudes,stereotypesandperceptionofthesocietyonthestatusofmarginalisedcommunities.“Theplaywillhaveanimpactontheattitudeofthecommunity,andthefirststepofchangebeginswiththemind-setofthesocialandhistoricallymarginalisedpeopleandthoselivingaroundthem,"Kaligirwasaid.....Theplayportraysthesocial,economicandculturaldifficultiesfacedbytheminoritygroupsinRwanda.“Thissendsoutamessageofcollaborationneededbyboththemarginalisedandcivilisedgroupsinordertoattainuniformtransformation,”Habyarimana[theartisticdirector]said.Hesaidthatchangeispossible,withunityandsupportfromthewholecommunity".http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/index.php?a=44777&i=14735

Someexamplesshowedthattheperformancesandmediacoverageprovidedvaluableopportunitiesforminoritygroupstohavetheirsay.ForexampleinRwanda,ajournalistinterviewedaBatwawomanaspartofthearticlewhoputforwardthecommunity’sneedforaccesstoclaytopursuetheirtraditionallivelihoods.ThejournalistfollowedthisupthenextdaywithaninterviewwiththeMayorofRuhangotorespondtothisdemand.Thisisagoodexampleofmediacoveragegivingvoicetominoritygroupsoftenexcludedfrommainstreammedia.

DRachievedsignificantcoverage,wellbeyondtheirusualreachpartlyduetohavingadedicatedmedialiaisonperson.Thepartner’sviewisalsothatthe“novel”and“softer”approachofstreettheatreratherthanmoretraditionalcampaigningmeantthattheywereabletoreachdifferent


journalists(artsratherthancurrentaffairs)aswellasthemediabeingmoreopenandinterestedinthestory.RETENGinBotswanareportedsomemediainterestbuttheyoftenlackedcapacitytomaximiseopportunities,forradiointerviewsatshortnoticeforinstance.RETENGhasonlyonefulltimestaffmemberandthereisalsosomecautionontheBoardregardingwhatcanbesaidaboutminoritiesinpublic.

Socialmediaprovedtohavepotentialtoengagepeopleindiscussionsondiscrimination.InBotswana,performancesdidsparkaFacebookdiscussionwithover150postingsnotedbyendof2012.Whilethisisarelativelysmallnumberofpostingsitshowsthepotentialforasmallorganisationtostimulateparticipationinsimilarprogrammesinthefutureparticularlywiththeyouth.

Inallcountriestherewerelaunchesofthenationalfilmsandinthreecountries,theinternationalfilmtoo,andthesesparkedgoodmediacoverage.InDRtheinternationalfilm,SayMyNameandMUDHA’sowndocumentarywerehighlysignificantwiththenationalscreeningoftheMUDHAdocumentarygivinganationalairingtoissuesandexperiencesrarelydiscussedinpublicinDR.Theinternationalfilmprovokedinterestbecauseitdemonstrateswhatdiscriminationcanleadtointermsofviolence.

SAFEinKenyaachievedconsiderablemediacoveragein2013andalsoFacebookdiscussionwhenthefilmNi’Sisiwaslaunched.However,duringtheprogrammeperiodnomediacoveragewasachievedanditwasnotaprioritypursuedbytheprogrammeorMRG.Thiswasalargelyduetolimitedcapacityreasonsandinparticularduetothetimethatthecreationofaprofessionalfilmabsorbedofstaffwhowouldotherwiseberesponsibleformediaengagement.ThefilmwhichtheprogrammecontributedfundingtowasshownonnationalTV,CitizenTV,oneofthemorewidelyviewedstationsandreceivedconsiderablecoverage.Disseminationofthefilmisnowtakingplacethroughcivilsocietynetworks,otherSAFEprogrammenetworks,throughDVDcafesandwasthesubjectofalarge-scalesocialmediacampaignrunbySAFE.Withthebenefitofhindsight,giventhefocusoftheprogrammeonfightingracismandparticularfocusingontheelectionasakeyrisktime,itwouldhavebeenbeneficialtoallocatesomecapacitytotheMombasa-basedstafftoengageatleastwithlocalmediatobuildonthesuccesstheprogrammewashavingatcommunitylevelinstimulatingdiscussionaboutstereotypesinadvanceoftheelection(thefilmwasshownonnationalTVonlythedaybeforetheelection).

TheinternationalfilmwasnotshowninRwandawherethepartnerjudgedthatitdidnotfitwiththenationalapproachtominorityissuesi.e.toemphasisetheRwandanidentitywhichisindirectcontradictionwiththefilm’stitleof“SayMyName”.

Communitymembersinthethreecountrieswheretheinternationalfilmwasshowncommentedonsomeofthecommonexperiencesforminoritygroupsinthelanguageanddiscriminatorybehaviourtheyexperience.Inaddition,imagesofviolenceinKenyawereimportantintervieweessaiddemonstratingthatdiscriminationcanleadtoextremeandtragicoutcomes.

WhiletheprogrammehadtargetsformediacoveragetheredoesnotseemtohavebeenamediastrategyeitheratcountrylevelledbythepartnersnotlinkedtoMRG’sownprogramme.Theapproachestakenatcountrylevelwereverymuchledbythepartners.


c)ConclusionsStreettheatreprovidedameanstoincreasemediacoverageofminoritycommunitiesandtosomeextentissuesofdiscriminationandotherprioritiesofthecommunity.Agoodrangeoftelevision,radio,pressandonlinemediawerereachedbypartnerswithassociatedlargeaudiencespotentiallyreachedthroughtheseoutlets.Socialmediaprovedsuccessfulingeneratingdiscussionparticularlyamongtheyoung.

MRGprovidedtraininginmediaengagementtopartnersatbothpartners'meetingsinLondonandKenya.

Theextentofcoveragewasstronglycorrelatedtotheresourcesandeffortputintoachievingitbythepartnerandvariedwidely.

Whilethereweretargetsformediacoverage,therewasnotanoverallorcountryspecificmediastrategy.Mediacoverageandinparticularinsomeplacesuseofsocialmediaprovidedaneffectivemeanstotakethediscussionfurtherontheissuesinitialraisedbythetheatreperformances.Itprovidesaforumforchallengestostereotypetoreachagreateraudienceinamoresustainedway.Italsoenablesatwo-waydialogueoverasustainedperiod.Itislikelythattoincreasesuchactivitywouldrequiregreatercapacityorresourcesatpartnerlevel.

Maintainingthepartner-led,countryspecificapproachtomediaengagementwasgood.However,thedevelopmentofsuchasharedstrategywithcountryandglobalcomponentscouldhaveenabledmoreofasharingofideasandexperiencebetweenpartnersandallowedforopportunitiestomaximiselinkswithMRG’sownmediaworktobedevelopeddirectlywiththepartners.

3.3Results3

Result3:Atleastonepolicymakerwhocaninfluencepoliciesonsocialcohesionwhetherdirectlyorindirectlyineachcountrymakesapositivecommentaboutastreettheatreeventorthefilm.

a) Plannedandactualresults

Indicators Progresstowardstargets

Advocacymeetingswithatleastthreepolicymakerswhocaninfluencepoliciesonsocialcohesionwhetherdirectlyorindirectlyineachtargetcountry

Botswana-StaffmembersofRETENGmetseveralstakeholderstoadvocatefortherightsoftheWayeyicommunityinBotswana.DR-4meetingswithEUDelegation,ACNUR,USAEmbassy,andtheEUpressofficer.Kenya-reached130communitylevelkeyrepresentativesincluding15chief/elder,17opinionleaders,26CBOrepresentatives,14Women’srepresentativesand58youthrepresentatives.


Rwanda-heldover14meetingsincludinglocalauthorities,religiousleaders,teachers,civilsocietybreakfast,UNagenciesandNGOs.

b) AchievementsandchallengesTheprogrammeanditspartnersweresuccessfulinreachingthetargetssetforadvocacy.Theapproachtoadvocacytakenbythepartnersvariedwidely.

• InKenyaSAFEfocusedoncommunity–levelrepresentativesastargetsofadvocacyanddevelopedatailoredtrainingprogrammeforthembasedontheirkeyroleinmaintainingpeacearoundelections.Thisapproachfocusedonadvocacyinpracticeratherthanpolicy;

• InRwandatheneedforintensivemeetingswithauthoritiestogainapprovalforperformanceswasusedasanopportunitytopromoteawarenessoftheBatwacommunityandresultedinanumberofofficialsmakingofficialrepresentationsatperformances.Insomeplacestheauthoritiesinsistedonaprivateperformancebeforeallowingapublicperformance.Thisgaveanopportunitytoreachalargenumberofgovernmentofficials.

• InDRMUDHAstruggledtoaccessdecision-makerswithitssuccessfulmeetingstakingplacelargelyduetoMRGsupportduringvisits.Thiswasprobablythemostchallengingcontextforadvocacythattheprojectfaced.Thechallengewastosomeextentexacerbatedbythedeathofitsfounderwhohadledadvocacyvigorouslybuthadalsoheldthecontactswithkeytargetsofadvocacyherself.MUDHAreportedthataccessingofficialsisdependentoncontacts.Itwouldseemthenetworkofcontactsneedstoberebuilt.MUDHAhopesthatMRGwillhelpwithadvocacyinthefuturebringingwithittheweightofaninternationalorganisation.

• RETENGinBotswanareportedthattheprogrammehadbroughtthemnewopportunitiestomeetkeyofficials.Theysuccessfullysecuredtheparticipationofthecountry’sVicePresidentaswellasofficialsatotherlevelssuchastheCouncilChairmanwheretheyalsospoke.However,theydidnotmanageyettoholdawiderperformanceforMPstheyplantodoin2013withadditionalfundingRETENGhavesecured.

Asignofinitialsuccessinadvocacycanbeseeninsomeoftherecordedcommentsandcommitmentsmadebyofficialsatperformancesandintheircontactwithpartnersfollowingperformances.Forinstance,theevaluationfoundthatYWCAhadreceivedrequestsfromlocalauthoritiesforsupportandinputtoBatwaprogrammeswhichdemonstratessomeincreasedawarenessoftheparticularneedsofthecommunity.InKenyatheevaluationfoundtherehadbeenconsiderablefollowupbycommunitymembersaftertheirtrainingwithSAFEandthatmanyofthemwereandsomecontinuetobeactiveintheircommunitiespromotingpeace.InBotswanatheevaluationfoundtherewerenumerousanecdotesofofficialspledgingsupportfollowingperformances.Forinstance:

- Someyoungpeoplepledgedtodevisetheirownplaytospreadthemessage- Councillorssaidtheyshoulddiscussthisissueofdiscriminationincouncil- VicePresidentspokeataperformanceandwasopentoafollowupvisit- OnechiefinRapostswesaidhewouldencourageallvillagechiefstoconsidertheissue- Apastorsaidhewoulddedicateadayinhischurchtodiscussingequality.


HoweverthesepledgeswerenotfollowedupbyRETENG,dueinparttocapacityissues.Inevaluationmeetingswithsomeofficialstheyreportedrememberingtheperformancetheysawacoupleofyearsearlier,andthattheywouldwelcomeRETENGtoreturnforadiscussionwiththeCouncil.However,therehadbeennospecificactionasaresultoftheperformanceordiscussion.

TosomeextentthemorelimitedimpactofadvocacyatleastinBotswana,DRandRwandaisduetothelackofclarityregardingtheadvocacymessages.InKenyatheadvocacyfocusedonsupportingapeacefulelectionprocess,notnecessarilyrespectforminorityissuesbutitdidaimtostopstereotypingofdifferentethnicgroupsortribes.However,inotherlocationstherewasnotthesameclarityintheadvocacymessages.ItwassurprisingtonotealsothattherightsofminoritygroupswerenotamajorfeatureofadvocacywiththefocusparticularlyinKenyaandRwandabeingmuchmoreonnationalunityandequality.Indeedinallcountriesitwassurprisingalsotonotethatthegroupstendedtofocusalsoonadvocacytominoritycommunitiesfortheneedforthemtochangetoo.ThiswasnoticeableinevaluationdatafrominterviewswithbothRwandaandBotswanastaffandactors.

Internationally,MRGputonfilmscreeningsinLondon,MadridandBrussels.TheBrusselsmeetingprovidedanopportunityforthetwopartnersattendingtomeetEUandotherofficialsthoughneitherreportsanyresultse.g.innewfundingsincethistimeyet.SAFEreportedthebenefitforthemofbeingabletoinvitetheirsupportersandnetworktoseesomeoftheirworkattheLondonscreening.However,intermsofadvocacytheeventsseemtobemorelimitedwithlessclearaims.Instead,theyhavebeensuccessfuleventstopromoteawarenessandshareexperienceoftheprogrammeparticularlywithotherNGOs,peopleinterestedindevelopmentandthearts.Theyhaveprovidedcelebrationpointsoftheprogramme'ssuccess.Academicssaidtheywouldliketousethefilmintheircoursessoitmightbenefitfrombeingmorewidelypromotedtothem.

InapartnersmeetingtherewasasessiononadvocacyinwhichMRGprovidedsupporttopartnerstodeveloptheiradvocacystrategy.However,thiswasquitelimitedandtwopartnerssubsequentlychanged.Inaddition,theadvocacyactivitiesofthepartnerorganisationswerenotusuallytheresponsibilityofthestaffattendingthepartners'meeting.Greaterinputtotheadvocacyelementindevelopingastrategy,messagesandmechanismsfordocumentingandfollowupofopportunitiescouldhaveincreasedtheimpactofthisarea.Thisinputmaybebestfocusedthroughcooperationwiththeseniormanagementoftheorganisationsresponsibilityforadvocacyandwhoareoftenthepeopledirectlyincontactwithkeytargetsofadvocacy.

MRGisconsideringinfutureprogrammestoincludeseniormanagementinatleastoneofthepartners'meeting.Thiswouldbeagoodideaandprovideanopportunityforfurtherorganisationalunderstandingandcommitmenttotheapproach,toidentifylinkageswithotheractivitiestodiscussstrategiessuchastheprosandconsoffocusingatcommunity,local,regionalornationallevelandtoidentifyanyinternationalleveladvocacyaimswhichMRGcouldpursuewiththepartners.

c) ConclusionAllpartnersachievedthetargetsresults.Theflexibilityintheprogrammeenabledpartners’tocapitaliseonopportunitiesandpursueprioritiestheyidentifiedthemselves.However,fargreatersuccesswouldhavebeenenabledbyanoveralladvocacystrategyatnationalandinternational


levels.Partnersnotedthattheywouldhaveappreciatedmoreinputonadvocacy.Thiswasparticularlyimportantconsideringthelimitedtimeavailableforadvocacyplanninginthepartnersmeetingandthattwoofthefinalpartnersweremissingfromthat.

4.Long-termimpact

Theoverallaimoftheprogrammewas“tocontributetothegreatersocialcohesionandinter-communityunderstandinginfourcountries:Botswana,DominicanRepublic,KenyaandRwanda,”Indicatorsofthisweresetas:Majoritycommunitymembersinfourcountriesaremoreawareof,respectfultowardsoratleastmoretolerantofminority&indigenouscommunitymembers.Minoritycommunitymembersfeelmoreconfidenttochallengeracistbehaviourandfeelmoreacceptedbymajoritycommunitymembersandthattheircultureisbetterunderstood

Thestreettheatreprogrammespecificaimwasto“tousedramaandstreettheatretochallengecommonlyheldracistattitudesandnegativestereotypesofminoritiesandindigenouspeoplesinfourprogrammecountries”.Dataagainsttheseindicatorsisbelow.

Objective:Tousedramaandstreettheatretochallengecommonlyheldracistattitudesandnegativestereotypesofminoritiesandindigenouspeoplesin4programmecountries.Indicatorsandtargets Progress

Samplingindicatesthatatleast650peoplepercountryhavehadtheirviewsorattitudeschallengedbyaproduction

Samplingdataandevaluationinterviewsindicatethatwellover650percountryhadtheirviewschallengedbyaproduction.Inparticular,areasthatemergedwereanincreasedawarenessoflanguagethatcanbediscriminatorywhichpeoplewereunawareofandanincreasedornewawarenessthatsuchbehaviourcanleadtomoreseriousresultsincludinginternalconflict.

Samplingindicatesthatatleast650peopleineachcountryplantomentiontheproductiontheysawanditsmessagestoothers

Samplingdataandevaluationinterviewssuggestthatwellover650peoplediscussedtheproductions.Itisnotclearinallcountriestheextenttowhichthemessageswithinitwerediscussed.EvidenceinKenyaconfirmstherewasfollow-onactionfromitsperformancesandassociatedactivities.

Audiencefiguresofmediaoutletscoveringaproductionsuggestthatnolessthat500,000peoplepercountrywillhaveseenanitemabouttheprogrammewhichincludesatleastonekeymessage

ThemediacoveragegeneratedbytheprogrammeinBotswana,DRandRwandaislikelytohaveresultedinatleast500,000peopleseeing/hearinganitemabouttheprogramme.KenyamainmediaactivityistheshowingofthefilmonnationTVbuttookplaceaftertheprogrammetimeframe.Itislessclearwhattheimpactofthatcoveragewouldbeandwhetherthekeymessageswouldhavebeenheard.Muchofthemediacoveragewasaone-offandtendedtofocusontheperformancesratherthannecessarilychallengingdiscriminatoryorracistattitudes.


i) AudiencesTheevidencefrommonitoringandevaluationshowedthattheprogrammeeasilyachieveditstargetsintermsofnumbersofpeoplereachedandviewschallengedthroughobservationorparticipationinperformancesorscreenings.Audiencemembersreportedtheywouldtalkabouttheperformancethoughitwasoftenlessclearwhatmessagestheyweretakingfromit.ii) ActorsTheevaluationfindingssuggestthatthegreatestimpactwasontheactorstakingpartintheprogramme,bothprofessionalandcommunityillustratedbythefollowingquotes:

“ThebiggestachievementisthatithelpedtheyouthfromtheBateyees.Ithelpedthemtoleavebehindtheirfeelingofembarrassmentfromthestigmaassociatedwiththecolouroftheirskinandwheretheylive.Andfeelproudofwhotheyare.TheygainedconfidencewhenthedocumentarywasshownontheTV...Theyouthlearnedtodefendanddemandrespectfortheirrights.Beforetheywereafraidtospeakaboutthesesubjectsinpublic.”MUDHAstaff.

“…theprofessionalactorsandthedirectoralsobecamedisseminatorsoftheknowledgewithinourcircles.Toacertaindegreeweareamongthosewhogeneratepublicopinion.”professionalactorinDR.

“I’velearnedalot.I’vestartedwatchingwhatIsay.Iknowwhatdiscriminationisnow.”Professionalactor,majoritycommunity,Botswana.

Whilethescaleoftheevaluationisinsufficienttoclaimstatisticallyrobustevidenceofimpact,theconsistencyofactors’commentsfromacrosscountriesandcommunitiesgivesconfidencethattheirexperienceformanyofthemhashadlastingimpactandwillaffectboththeiractingandtheirinteractionswithothers.Howevertherearealsolimitswithsometensionswithintheatregroups,forinstanceinBotswanacontinuingthroughouttheprogrammewhichisahelpfulreminderthataplayandshort-termprogrammeisnotamagicbullettoendingdiscrimination,prejudicesandchangingdeeplyheldviewsimmediately.

iii) Communityimpacts

InKenyacommunitymembersandleadersfollowedaone-daytrainingworkshopandthishasresultedinsustainedactioninthecommunity.Communitymembersreportedtotheevaluationexamplesofhowtheyusedconflictresolutionskillsandincreasedunderstandingoftheelectionanddevolutionprocesses.Increasedconfidencetodosomethingwasacommonlycitedresultbycommunitymembers.

“IbroughtbackwhatIlearnedtothewomen’sgroupwhichIchair.Weholdthecommunitytogether.Wetalktoyouth–toourownandtheirfriends.Thetrainingmadeusstrongwhenitcametotheelection.Wewentintothecommunityengagetheyouth.Weemphasisedtothemnottobeusedbypoliticians”.

Peoplecitedlearningskillsinhowtoshareinformationandlearningexamplesfromothercountrieswhichtheywereabletousetostrengthentheirownmessages.InKenya,peopledidfindchallenges


atcommunitylevelwithsomeencounteringhostilitybecauseitwassometimesthoughttheywerepaidbySAFE,whichtheywerenot

iv) Contributiontooverallaim

Theoverallaimoftheprogrammeistobuildsocialcohesionthroughinter-communityunderstandingandminoritycommunityconfidencetochallengediscrimination.TheprogrammeinKenyaresultedinconsiderableactivityatcommunitylevel.Theevaluationheardmanyexamplesofpeopleinvolvedintheprogrammegoingontopromotepeace.Theelectionsdidprogresspeacefully.WhileattributiontotheSAFEprogrammeisdifficultgiventhescaleofactivitiesbyotherorganisationsitdidundoubtedlymakeasignificantcontributiontoestablishingapeacefulelectionprocessinthecommunitiesinwhichitworked.

Inothercountries,localpartnerscommentedonincreaseddiscussionintheircountriesabouttheissuesofdiscriminationwithforinstanceanewshowonTVaboutdescendentsofHaitiansinDRandreportsofanotherfilmbeingmadeinRwandaaboutBatwa.Itisdifficulttoknowtheextenttowhichthisprogrammecontributedtoanychangebutundoubtedlyithascontributedtothesedebatesandhelpedtoopenthesubjectofdiscriminationforpublicdiscussion.

Manyoftheimpactspointedtobystakeholdersarearoundincreasedconfidenceforminoritycommunitymembers.“Therewerepeoplewhodidn’tknowhowtodefendtheirrights.Theycouldn’tevenidentifywhattheirrightswere,andthisprogrammehashelpedthemtodothat.”Actor,DR.

Whiletheextenttowhichtheprogrammeofthisscalecancontributetolong-termattitudechangeisquestionable,thisprogrammeshowsitcancontributetobuildingconfidenceofminoritygroups.

Theprogrammeisbasedonassumptionsthatchallengingdiscriminationwillleadtointer-communityunderstandingandthussocialcohesion.Thisisbasedonassumptionsthatlatentconflicthasthepotentialtoflareupandthatissuesandinequalitiesthatarenotaddressedorevenacknowledgedmayfuelsuchpotentialconflict.However,theevaluationfoundconcernsamongsomecommunitymembers,notablyinBotswanaamongminorityandmajoritymembersthatraisingissuesaroundminoritycommunityprioritiesandchallengingdiscriminationmayleadtotensionandevenconflict.Theprogrammeisbasedonviewsthatairingissuesinapublicarenawhereallperspectivescanbediscussedismorelikelytoleadtoapeacefulchange.

Evidencefromtheexperienceofthisprogrammeisthatstreettheatrecanchallengeandprovokelivelydiscussionbut,inpartduetogoodattentiontosecurityandcommunityrelations,didnotprovokeconflictorviolence.Suchlearningisvaluableforbuildingonthesuccessoftheprogrammeinthefutureandalsohighlightsanareawheretheprogrammecancontributeeffectivelytoknowledgeonhowtosupportpeacefulchangetowardssocialjustice.

Gatheringmoreevidencetoestablishthelinkagebetweenthesestepsofchallengingdiscriminationandhowitcanpeacefullycontributetoincreasedsocialcohesionwouldbebeneficial.ResearchintheUKondiscriminationexperiencedbypeopleonlowincomesshowstheysufferfrompoorerlevelofpublicservicesandfuelsresentmentthoughalsoresignation(Killeen,20081).SimilarexperienceswereheardinthisprogrammewithforinstancebullyingofBatwachildreninRwandareceivinglittle

1http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/poverty-uk-denial-peoples-human-right


attentionfromtheauthorities.Similarexperiencesofminoritycommunities’resignationthattheirsituationwouldnotchangewerealsoheardparticularlyinRwandaandBotswana.Whilechallengingdiscriminationisundoubtedlypositive,moreknowledgeonhowtobringaboutpeacefulchangewouldbebeneficialforpartnersandtargetsofadvocacytoo.

Thesustainabilityofprogrammeresultsiskeyforlong-termimpact.ThereissomeevidenceofsustainableimpactsinKenya.Intheotherthreecountriesthepartnersarecommittedtocontinuetousestreettheatretobuildawarenessofdiscriminationiftheysecurefunding.Anapproachthatwassuggestedinanumberofcommunitiesinthethreecountriesvisitedwastoestablishcommunitydramagroupsonthebackofpublicperformancesfromthepartnerwhichcouldsustainthedialogueondiscrimination.

5.Discussion-keyissues

5.1ProgrammedesignTheinitialprogrammedesignprocessduringtheproposalstagewasquiterushedtomeetdeadlinesandhadverylimitedparticipationofthepartners,indeednonefromthetwopartnerswhocameonboardlaterintheprogrammeinRwandaandKenya.InputsfromtheoriginalpartnergroupthatwereprovidedwerehelpfulandincludedforinstanceaddingintheroleofanArtisticDirectorforeachpartnerattherecommendationofthefirstKenyanpartner.Intheevaluationinterviewspartnerssuggestedareastheywouldhaverecommendedtherebemoreattentiontointheproposalwhichinclude:

- Buildinginresourcesforengagementwithcommunitiesinwhichtheperformancewilltakeplaceandthenfollowuptothecommunityafterwards–i.e.amorecommunitybasedapproach

- Technicalsupportinareassuchasmonitoringandevaluation,advocacy.- Moreattentiontopartners’capacityneedsintermsofstaffingparticularlyforthesmaller

organisations.

However,MRG’sapproachdidallowforagooddegreeofflexibilitysoeachpartnercouldshapetheprogrammetotheircontextandpriorities.Thishasprovedtobeeffectiveandenabledpartnerstoproduceperformanceswhichresonatewitheachcommunity.

Theprogrammeteamrespondedwelltotheopportunitiesandchallengespresentedbytheexternalenvironment.ForinstanceinKenyathecontextoftheelectionprovidedahelpfulfocusfortheactivitiesandsupportedSAFE'sengagementwithcommunities.Despitethetensionandsecuritythreats,italsoprovidedfocusandmomentumwiththeperformancestakingplaceinthemidstofanationalcampaigntoestablishapeacefulelectionprocess.InRwandatoo,therewereopportunitieswithsomethingofarelaxationregardingdiscussionsabouttheBatwainrecentyearsallowingtheperformancetonameBatwaandsomeoftheirprioritiesandissues.

Itisworryingthattwopartners,bothknowntoMRG,werefoundtohavedevelopedfinancialmanagementchallengesandthatthesewerenotknown,thoughtherewasnofirmevidenceofany


probleminpastcooperation.Amorethoroughdesignprocesswithsomeassessmentoflocalpartnersandtheircapacitiesmayhaveidentifiedthese.Thatsaid,MRGdidwelltodecidetoendtheseoperationalrelationships,findnewpartnersandstillcompletetheprogrammeonschedule.Theflexibilityandsupportofthedonorinthisregardwasalsowelcome.

Theprogrammedesignhadawell-pacedschedulethatallowedtheteamtocopewithinevitableunexpectedeventsincludingstaffchangesinMRGandpartners,achangeofpartnerintwocountriesandlimitationsofthesecuritysituationinKenya.Allactivitieswerecompletewellontimedespitetheseunexpectedevents.

Anareathatwasunderestimatedintheprogrammedesignwasthescaleofitspotentialimpact.Withamoreparticipatoryapproachtothedesignandespeciallyiftherewastimein-countrytoresearchstreettheatre’ssuccessinotherarease.g.inHIVandAIDSawarenesswork,thescaleofambitioncouldhavebeenincreased.Thismayhavealsoresultedinallocationofmoreresourceswithinthebudgetforinputandfollowupinthemedia,advocacyandcommunity-basedworkwhichcouldhaveincreasedimpactevenfurther.

Theprogrammedesignallowsforworkwithonepartnerinfourcountries.Giventheexploratorynatureofthisprogrammethishasbeenappropriateindemonstratingtherangeofcontextsinwhichstreettheatrecanprovideaneffectivecontributiontothebroaderrightsbuildingprocess.But,togetherwiththescaleoftheprogramme,itmeansthereislimitedimpactinanyonecountry.Thereispotentialbothtoprovidemoresupporttoindividualpartnersandtosupportmorethanonepartnerineachcountrytoundertakestreettheatretoincreaseimpact–althoughthiswouldimplybiggerbudgetsandmorerelationshipstomanage.Thismayalsobeamorebeneficialapproachtobuildingrelationshipsbetweenorganisationswithincountriesforlearningandcooperation.

Greaterimpactcouldbeachievedbycreatinglinksbetweenpartnersandotherorganisationsin-countrywithcomplementaryactivities.Moretimeandamoreparticipatoryanalysisofstreettheatreandrightsbasedactivitiesineachcountryatthebeginningwouldhaveallowedmoreanalysisofthe“fit”ofstreettheatreintothesenetworksandcouldhaveincreaseditsimpact.Forexample,inKenya,thereisnotobviouspartnerornetworkforSAFEtolinkcommunitiestowhichithasengagedwithduringthisprogrammeforfuturepeaceworkortoaddressissuesoflandtenure,educationandpovertywhichrecurred.Inaddition,therearepotentiallinkswitheachpartner’sprogrammesandMRG’stooforinstanceinadvocacyandmediatraining.Thatsaid,despitethelimitationsofthedesignprocessthepartnersaresatisfiedwiththeprogrammeframeworkandtheevidenceshowsithasachievedimpactandahighdegreeofsuccess.Alternatively,buildingintothestrategyastagetobuildlinksbetweencommunitiesandorganisationsworkingonissuesthatcomeupduringperformancesmayenablesustainedsupportforcommunityconcerns.

5.2GendermainstreamingGenderissueswereintegratedintotheprogrammewell.Alltheperformanceshadfemalecentralroleswhichbothhighlightedthedoublediscriminationthatwomencanexperienceasawomanandasaminority.Atthesametimeall-femalecharacterswerestrongcharacterswhotookcontrolandgaveleadershipintheperformancesandinaddressingdiscrimination.Inadditioneffortsweremadetoensuretherewasanequalnumberoffemaleandmalemembersofthecastwhichwasalmost


achieved.MRGencouragedthepartnerstoconsiderpointsinaudienceparticipationsuchasensuringequalnumbersofmenandwomenareaskedtospeak.

Onepartner,SAFEgatheredgenderdisaggregateddatawhichhashelpedtoverifytheintegrationofgenderissuesandthiswouldbebeneficialasbothgoodpracticebutalsoformonitoringparticipationandimpactoftheprogramme.

Thefactthattwopartners,MUDHAandYWCAhavewomen’srightsatthecoreoftheirworkhasalsocontributedtotheeffectiveintegrationofgenderconsiderationsintotheprogramme.TheprogrammeinDRhadaparticularfocusonwomen’srightswhichwasincludedinthetrainingfortheactors.Communitymembersinvolvedintheactingreportedthishavingasignificantimpactonthem,asMUDHAstaffandothersinvolvedintheprogrammealsonoted.“Theprogrammehadparticularlyempoweringimpactsontheyoungfemaleactorswholearnedtodefendtheirrights”.(Artisticdirector,DR).

MaleissueswerepaidattentionmostnoticeablyintheKenya-basedprogrammewhereoneofthekeyelectionissueswastoavoidyoungmenbeingmanipulatedbypoliticianstounderminetheelectionandcauseviolenceashadhappenedin2007.Boththeperformanceandthetargetingofyouthgroups,aswellaswomen’sorganisationsandothersensuredthisgroupwasafocus.

5.3PartnercapacitiesTheprogrammeisinterestinginhavingfourverydifferenttypesofpartnersacrossthefourcountriesintermsoftheirsize,areasofexpertiseandfamiliaritytoMRG.Below,isasummaryanalysisofthestrengthsandweaknessesofeachtypeoforganisationdrawingonthefindingsoftheevaluation.

Strengths ChallengeMinorityrightsspecialistse.g.MUDHA,RETENG

• Abilitytobuildonlinksandnewrelationshipscreatedthroughstreettheatreinon-goingadvocacywork.

• Relationshipswithminoritycommunitiesandpriorknowledgeofminorityissuestoincludeinperformances.

• Maybeprejudgedasbeingcampaignerswithknownmessageandsofindmakinglinkswithmediaanddecision-makersmoredifficult.

• Perceivedtorepresentavoiceoftheminority.

• NeedskillsinparticipatoryartsandconfidenceofBoardsandmanagementtobebuilt.

DevelopmentNGOe.g.YWCA

• Haveestablishedpriorlinkswithandtrustofcommunitiesandauthorities.Possiblyallowedittodoworkotherssuchashumanrightsorganisationsmaynotbeallowedto.

• Representvoiceofmajoritypopulation.Maybeabletoreachaudiencesothersdonot.

• Maynotseepoliticaland/orculturalrightsbasisofsomeoftheissues-defertoanalysisofsocio-economicrights.Sofollow-upworklikelytobeonsocio-economicissuesnotattitudes,discriminationandpoliticalorculturalrights.

• Lackskillsincommunitytheatre.


• Impliesneedforpartnershipwithminoritygroups.

Participatoryartsspecialistse.g.SAFE

• Skilledinuseofparticipatorytheatre.

• Abletodevelopplayquicklyandengagecommunity.

• Havetriedandtestedmethodstocreatehighqualityperformances,methodstoengagecommunityandfollowupforresults.

• Limitedexperienceinsubjectarea.

• Limitednetworksforfollow-up-thisraisesissuesofhowfarshouldtheorganisationgowiththeparticularminoritiesagendaconsideringitisnotspecialist.Impliestheneedforpartnersand/orlinkswithothernetworksforthemtobuildonthechangecatalysedbythestreettheatreperformances.

TheevaluationresultsandkeypointssummarisedaboveshowthatallthetypesoforganisationinvolvedintheMRGstreettheatreprogrammewereabletoundertakeaneffectivestreettheatreprogramme.ThetypeoforganisationtheywereinfluencedthetypeofinputandsupportneededfromMRG-whetherintechnicalstreettheatre,inminorityrightsorinprogrammemanagement(forsmallerorganisations).Theevaluationfoundthateachtypeoforganisationneededtobelinkedintonationalnetworkstomaximise,buildonandsustaintheresultsofthestreettheatreperformances.Therangeoforganisationsintheprogramme,whileplacingquitearangeofdemandsonMRGtoprovidedifferenttypesofsupport,doesdemonstratetherelevanceofstreettheatreasanapproachforpromotionoftherightsofminoritygroupsinmanycountries.ThisincludedcountrieswithquiteseverelimitsonwhatcanbesaidpubliclysuchasinRwanda.Indeedstreettheatreallowedissuestoberaisedandairedthatcouldnotbethroughothermedia.Partnerorganisationsallfacedcapacityconstraints,needingsupportwithsomeaspectsoftheprogramme.Lackofexperienceinstreettheatreslowedtheprocessdownforsomepartners,forinstanceinBotswanatheRETENGBoardreporteditscautionatthebeginninginthisworkandscaleofprogrammewhichimpactedonthepaceoftheirwork.ForbothRETENGandMUDHAthelackofexperiencewithstreettheatreseemedtoreducethescaleoftheirambitioninattractingaudienceswhichwerenoticeablysmallerthaninKenyaandRwanda.However,theyallalsoreportedorganisationalbenefitsfromparticipationintheprogrammeandhadgainedskills,experiencesandrelationshipstheyplannedtosustaininthefuture.AllpartnerscommentedontheexcellentrelationshipandsupportfromMRGinstreettheatreandfilmwithprogrammemanagersandconsultantsprovidingappropriatesupportandinput.Theinclusionofshort-termconsultancyaswellasgoodongoingtechnicalsupportandinputtoRETENGandYWCAwhichhadnopriorstreettheatreexperiencewasappreciated.Staffvisitstoworkthroughfinancesandprogrammemanagementwerealsoveryhelpful.Thepartners’recommendationsforthefutureincludedensuringthereisgreaterclarityinbudgetmanagement,reportingandfund-raisingfromthestart.Therewassomeconfusionregardingpartner


responsibilitiestoraisematchingfundstosomeextentcausedbydifficultiesinsecuringtheseinyearthreeoftheprogramme.Also,asmentionedearlier,someadditionaltechnicalinputandearlierinputinfinancialmanagementaswellasinadvocacy,monitoringandmarketingwouldhavebeenbeneficial.Partnersreportedbuildingnewcapacitiesasaresultoftheprogramme.MUDHAreportedgainingnewskillsinstreettheatreandthroughitnewwaysofengagingmediainterest;RETENGreportedreachinganewconstituencyoftheyouthaswellgainingexperienceinstreettheatretheyarealreadycontinuingtoworkwithin2013;YWCAreportedincreasedskillsinfund-raisingandproposalwritingaswellaswithstreettheatreandSAFEintroducednewapproachestotheirstreettheatreapproachsuchasthefollowupsessionsforcommunityleadersbasedinSAFE'sownofficeswhichbroughtleaderstogetherandgavethemsupportoutsideoftheircommunities.Theartisticdirectorsreportedgainingexperienceandsupportfromthepartnersmeetingparticularlybecauseeachdirectorhaddifferentbackgroundandexperiencetobringtothesession.Theyallgainedsomethingnewfromtheprogrammesincludingawarenessofminorityissues,racismanddiscriminationwhichtheyplantouse.Inallcountriestheactorscommentedontheirincreasedself-awarenessaboutstereotypesanddiscriminatoryviewstheyrealisedthroughtheprogrammethattheyheld.Theprogrammehelpedtoraisetheprofileoforganisations.Forinstance,SAFEcommentedonthebenefitsoftheinternationalexposuretheyreceivedthroughthefilmSayMyNamebeingshowninEurope.InBotswanatheprogrammegavemoreopportunitiesforRETENGtomeetwithsomepoliticiansandonthemedia.InDRMUDHAgainedsignificantmediaexposurethroughtheprogramme.AndinRwandatheprogrammeprovidedareasontomeetwithauthorities,gainmediacoverage,meetotherNGOse.g.inacivilsocietybreakfastYWCAorganised.

5.4Monitoring,EvaluationandLearningAssessingtheresultsofstreettheatreisextremelydifficult,particularlywhenaddressingissuessuchasattitudesanddiscriminationwhichissomethingmanypeoplemayfeeluncomfortabletotalkabouthonestlyinpublic.Sometimespeopleareawarethattheopinionstheyholdarenottheappropriateattitudesoronesthattheorganisationwantstohear.Othertimesattitudesliedeepinthesubconscioussopeoplecanfinditdifficulttoarticulatetheirownattitudes.Thechallengestomonitoringwereexacerbatedinthisprogrammebythenew-nessoftheapproachtothreeofthepartners:RETENG,MUDHAandYWCA.

MRGheldasessiononmonitoringandevaluationinbothofthepartners’meetingsandencouragedpartnerstoconsidermethodstoassesstheeffectivenessandresultsoftheirperformancesandprogrammes.Unfortunatelythesewerebeforetwopartnerscameonboard.However,thediscussionsdidenableMRGtosetupasystemwherebyallpartnerscouldreportonsomecommonindicatorsoverandaboveactivitiesandoutputs.Theseincludednumbersattendingperformances,percentagesofpeoplefromsampleswhostatedtheirattitudeschangedasaresultoftheperformanceandpercentageswhosaidtheywouldtalkabouttheperformancetoothers.Inaddition,therewasgooddocumentationofmediacoverageofperformancesandalsoofmeetings


withdecision-makersinRwandaandDR.MRGmaintainedexcellentrecordsofmonitoringdataandensuredthesewerecollectedbypartnersandcollatedbyMRG.

Theseindicatorsaregoodandeachpartnermadegoodattemptstogatherdatatoidentifytheirsuccess.Methodsfordatacollectionvariedwidelyasdidthedepthofquestionsasked,theirdocumentationandlevelofanalysisofmonitoringdata.Forinstance,inBotswanathemaindatacollectionmethodwasthroughashowofhandsattheendoftheperformanceandsomeone-to-onevideoedinterviews.InKenyaontheotherhandtherewasamorein-depthprocessinwhichtheteamcarriedoutinitialresearchincommunitiesbeforeperformances,undertookpreandpostwrittenquestionnaireswiththeaudienceandrevisitedcommunitiesaweekorsolatercarryingoutone-to-oneinterviewsgatheredduringatransectwalkthroughthecommunity.Thismonitoringwasundertakeninapproximately40%ofcommunitiesinwhichSAFEperformed.Themoredetailedprocessistimeandresourceconsumingbuthasallowedassessmentofimpacttoamuchgreaterdepththanothermethods.IndeedthedatagatheredthroughtheSAFEmethodologywouldbeopentomoreanalysisthanhasbeencarriedout.TheirdataallowedSAFEtoidentifyreportedchangesinpeople'sidentity-fromtribaltoKenyan,andregardingpoliticalleadership,peaceandpotentialpersonalaction.

ChallengestomonitoringareexemplifiedbytheexperienceofSAFEwhichundertookthemostin-depthprocess.Theyencounteredpeopleincommunitieswhodidnotwanttotalktothemabouttheirviewsonpeaceandtribalism,particularly,theyreported,ifthecommunitymemberwasfromadifferentgroupfromtheresearcher.Theyalsometwithsuspicionsthatcommunitiesthoughttheywerecollectingdataforthegovernmentorotherpoliticalreasons.

Therewere limitations to themonitoringandevaluationprocess inall countries. Somequestionsaskedbysomepartnersweresomewhatambiguouswhichlimitsthestrengthofconclusionsthatwecan draw from data. For instance, in Rwanda audiencememberswere asked to complete a veryshort written questionnaire which included the following questions: “Has the play changed yourmind-setor thewayyouused to thinkingaboutwhathasbeen talkedabout? Ifyescanyougivesomeexamplesofsomechanges?”Thisquestionisnotclear.

Inallcountriestheparticipantsinmonitoringweretosomeextentself-selecting-onlyasampleoftheaudiencewasinterviewedandonlythosewhoagreedundertookaninterviewormonitoringform.Inallcountriestheface-to-faceinterviewstendedtobecarriedoutbythecastoftheperformancewhoaudiencemembersmayfeeluncomfortabletoarticulatediscriminatoryviewsafterseeingtheplayswhichareclearlyencouraginganti-discriminatorybehaviours.Thesedrawbacksmeanthatsomeofthestatisticsforchangeneedtobeviewedwithsomecautione.g.85-100%ofaudiencessaytheirattitudehaschangedsinceviewingaperformance.MRG,awareofsomeoftheselimitations,diddiscusspotentialmethodstostrengthenmonitoringsuchashavingvideoboothsatperformancesbutresourceandothercapacityconstraintscurtailedthesewhichisashameforthispilotprogramme.Monitoringofsuchaprogrammeisachallengeandthereisnotaneasy,low-costsolutiontothis.However,asinanyprogrammetoknowifitiscontributingtotheintendedchangethenattentiontosuchmonitoringisimportant.Thiscanbemonitoringbothatthepointoftheperformancebutalso,andprobablymoreeffectivelytotakeplacelater.TheexperienceofSAFEunder-takingfollow-upmeetingsandmonitoringincommunitiesvisitedprovidesexperiencethatcouldbebuiltupon.


SomepartnerssaidthatmoretechnicalinputtoM&Ewouldhavebeenhelpfulduringtheprogrammeinadditiontothepartnersmeetinginputs(whichonlytwoofthefinalpartnersattended)andthiscouldhavebeenahelpfulinputtomaketheprocessmorerobustandthusthefinalstatisticsbothmoreusefulforcomparativepurposesbutalsoforadvocacyforsupporttosuchprogrammeswhichfindfundinganissue.

AplannedfinalpartnersmeetingwascancelledandfundsusedtobringRwandanandDRpartnerstoaninternationalfilmscreening,Thepartnerswhoattendedthescreeningfeeltheybenefittedfromtheirattendanceandwerealsoabletousetheirvisitstomeetotherpotentialsupporterse.g.attheEU.However,otherpartnersregrettedtheabsenceofafinalpartnersmeetingandfelttheycouldhavelearnedalotatthispointfromdiscussinghowallthepartnershadapproachedtheprogramme,theirexperience.Suchameetingwouldalsohavebeenbeneficialtotheevaluationprocessbothtogatherexperienceandtoagreeaprocessalongwithdatacollectionthepartnerscouldundertakebeforeanevaluationvisite.g.tofollowupinplaceswhereperformancestookplaceandfilmswereshowntogatherdataonwhetherauthorities,communityleaders,youthorothergroupshadundertakenanyactionsfollowingtheevents.AfinalreviewmeetingwouldalsohaveprovidedanopportunityformoreMRGstafftolearnaboutstreettheatreanditspotentialimpactandchallengesdirectlyfromthepartners.ItwouldhaveprovidedanopportunitytodiscusscollectivelyhowstreettheatrecanlinkwithotherMRGactivitiesandstrategiesformaximumimpact.

Thefinalevaluationbudgetwasquitelimited-just1percentofthetotalbudget.Agreaterbudget,particularlyconsideringthisisapilotprogrammeforMRGsolearningaboutresultsisimportantwouldhaveenabledamorein-depthprocessatbothcommunityanddecision-makerlevel.Inadditiontothesurveyingofcommunitiesmentionedabove,amuchmorewidespreadsetofinterviewsandfocusgroupdiscussionsandotherparticipatoryprocessescouldbeundertakenacrossagreatergeographicalrangeoflocationstounderstandbetterpeople'sattitudestoraceinvolvingpossiblylocallytrainedteams.

AnMRGagreementwithpartnerswouldbehelpfultospecifytheirexpectationofpartnersinevaluation.MRGshoulddevelopguidanceforpartnersregardingexpectationsoftheirroleinevaluationandwhatcoststhebudgetwillbeexpectedtocover–perdiems,numberofdaysofstafftime,transport,andcommunication.

5.5Streettheatre,attitudesandsocialcohesionStreettheatreisanewapproachforMRG.Whileithasbeenusedtobuildhealthawareness,addressstigmaassociatedwithHIVandusedtosomeextentinpeace-buildingprogrammes,itisarelativelynewandunder-resourcedapproachparticularlyoutsideofSouthAmericaandparticularlyinrelationtochallengingracism2.

Changingsocialattitudestoenddiscriminationisalong-termprocess.TheMRGprogrammeaimstobuildsocialcohesionandinter-communityunderstandingbychallengingracistattitudes.Thelinkbetweenthetwoisbasedonatheoryofchangethatdiscriminationandthelackofopeningsfor2E.g.Searchforacommonground-http://www.sfcg.org/programmes/drcongo/pdf/Participatory-Theatre-Manual-EN.pdf;Examplesoncommunicationinitiativee.g.http://www.comminit.com/global/content/seeds-theatre;http://www.gsdrc.org/docs/open/HD752.pdf


minoritiestochallengesuchattitudeswilleventuallyfindlesspeacefuloutletsthaniftheseattitudesarechallengedanddiscussedopenly.Attitudesofbothresignationandresentmentwerereportedinthethreecountriesvisitedbytheevaluator.Thelinkagebetweenchallengingdiscriminationandgreatersocialcohesioncouldbemoredirectlyarticulatedtoclarifythelevelofambitionoftheprogramme(overandabovestatedtargets).

Someofthestrengthsofstreettheatrethattheevaluationfoundinthisprogrammeinrelationtoaddressingdiscriminationwereitsabilitytoraiseissuesfordiscussionthatmaybesuppressedinotherfora,forinstanceregardingthesituationoftheBatwainRwanda.ItenabledorganisationstoreachaudiencestheydidnotusuallyreachforinstancetheyouthinBotswanaandmediaengagementinDR.Bystimulatinganemotionalresponsefromaudiences,bethatsorroworjoy,bothlaughterandtearsareevidentinthefilmfootageofperformancesandreportedbytheteams,thetheatreengagedpeopleinwaysthatotherapproachesdidnot.InparticularthedemonstrationofwhatcangowrongsuchasviolenceinKenyaprovedtobeakeytechniquetoreachaudienceswhichotherorganisations'approacheswhichwerebasedmoreontalkingaboutrisks,didnot.“Lotsoforganisationswereworkingonpeaceherebecauseit’sablackspot.ButtheSAFEapproachwasdifferent.Theothersdidnothavethesameimpact.Haveaplayandfilmhelped.Thebeginningoftheplaymadepeopleworried.Itcausedthemtofeeltense.Alsothestoriessuchasthoseaboutrumourswereveryrelevant.Usingtheatregivesapicturetothesituationwhichothersonlytalkabout.Ithelpspeopletoseeit”CommunitymemberinKenya,Likoni.

6.ConclusionsandRecommendations

Theprogrammesuccessfullyachievednearlyallitstargetsinrelationtothethreemainresults:performances,mediaandadvocacy.Indeed,despitefacingchallengesinmanyareastheprogrammeexceededitstargets.Theprogrammehassuccessfullydemonstratedthepotentialforstreettheatretobeundertakeninarangeofdiversesettingsandtomakeasignificantcontributiontoaddressingdiscriminationandracism.Itwassuccessfulingettingissuesnotfrequentlydiscussedintothepublicdomain.Partnerscreatedperformanceswhichdemonstrateddiscriminatorybehaviour,increasedpeople’sawarenessoftheirownlanguageandbehaviourandthroughtheirstorylinesandcollectivecastofmajorityandminoritycommunityactorseffectivelychallengedstereotypes.Theprogrammebuilttheconfidenceofminoritygroupstoarticulatetheirsituationandamongsomegroupstochallengeracism.

Thepeoplemostimpactedbytheprogrammeweretheactors,boththeprofessionalandcommunityactors.Theprofessionalactorscommentedontheawarenesstheygainedofminoritiesanddiscriminationintheircountrieswithanumberofthemnowstatingtheyareactiveinchallengingracism.Theminoritycommunityactorsgainedconfidenceandopportunitytopresenttheircommunityinpublicarena.

Theprogrammesuccessfullyraisedissuesfordiscussionincommunities.Theextenttowhichthishasimpactbeyondthosedirectlyinvolvedintheprogrammeishardtojudgegiventhelackofdataonthis.Individualandcommunitydiscussionandattitudesonissuesrelatingtoracismisa


particularlydifficultareatoassess.PartlyforthisreasonMRGdidnotincludetargetsforthisintheproposalandlogframe.However,toidentifyifaprogrammecontributestothewiderchangesaimedat,namelytochallengestereotypesinwaysthatleadstogreaterinter-communityunderstandingandsocialcohesion,trackingsuchchangeisneededthoughextremelycomplex.Itrequiresresearchbeyondwhatisusuallyconsideredroutinemonitoring.SomeexperiencefromtheprogrammesuchasthatofKenyaindicatesthattheprogrammedidstimulatesustainedactivityanddiscussion.Forexample,inKenyawheretherewasaprogrammeoffollow-upwithreturnvisitsbySAFEtomanyofthecommunitiestodiscusstheperformancecontentandtrainingforcommunityleaders,theevaluationfoundtheprogrammehadstimulatedactivitywhichcontinuedbeyondtheSAFEinvolvementatleastuntiltheelectionandinsomeexamplesbeyondthis.Inotherlocationsthereislessevidenceofsustainedactionsasaresultoftheprogrammethoughthereisanappetiteandopeningsforactionwhichrequirefollowupandsupport.

ThenumbersreachedbythefourpartnersthroughdirectperformancesvariedwidelywithRwandaandKenyaachievingsubstantiallyhighernumbersdueinparttothemarketingandpreparationdonetoalertpeopletotheforthcomingperformancesincludingthroughthelocalauthoritiesorcommunityleaders.

Mediaengagementalsovariedagaininlinetoalargeextentwiththeresources,timeputintobuildingitup.

Advocacyisamoredifficultareainwhichtoidentifyimpact.Themessagesbeingputforwardbysomepartnerstodecision-makersarenotsoclearandsoidentifyingimpactisnotclear.RwandadidhavesuccessinraisingawarenessofBatwacommunitieswithauthoritiesthoughtheirintegrationisapriorityofthegovernmentanditisthismessagethatseemstobeheard.InKenyathefollowupprogrammedidresultincommunityleadersactingtosupportpeacefulelections,toencouragepeopletovoteandtoencourageyouthnottobemanipulatedbypoliticians.Themessagesherewereclearerthoughtheirlinkwithracismanddiscriminationlessdirect.InBotswanathepartnerreportonadvocacywhichrefertoworkonWeyeyicommunityhavelessdirectrelationshiptotheirprogramme.InDRthepartnerstruggledtogainaccesstodecisionmakers.

MRGprovidedveryeffectivesupporttopartnersandallpartnerscommentedonthehighqualityoftherelationship,appreciatingthesupportprovidedbutalsotheflexibilitythattheprogrammeallowedforlocalcustomisationoftheapproach.Theyappreciatedthesupportparticularlyinrelationtostreettheatre,anewapproachforthreeofthepartners.Theprovisionofconsultantsupportwasparticularlyeffectivefororganisationswithoutstreettheatreexperience.MRGmanagedstaffchangeswithinitsownteamaswellasdevelopingrelationshipsrapidlywithnewteamsinpartnercountriesveryeffectively.

Partnerscommentedonthenewcapacitiestheygainedfromtheprogrammeincludingstreettheatre,fund-raisingandproposalandreportwritingskills,newlinkswithnewdonors,newlinkswithbothdecision-makersinRwandaandBotswanaaswellaslinkswithnewconstituenciessuchastheyouthinthecaseofBotswana.

Theprogrammeachievedsubstantiallymorethanwasplannedintermsofthequantitativetargetsforaudiences.Thisandtheexperiencehashighlightedthepotentialformuchgreaterimpactwithsomeadjustmentstotheprogrammedesignandresourcing.Thesearedetailedbelow.


Learningandrecommendationforfutureprogrammes

1. Programmedesignprocess-ensuretimeforamoreparticipatoryprogrammedesignprocesswhichincludesa)partnercapacityassessmentandb)countrycontexttoidentifylinkagesthatwouldbenefittheprogramme'simpact.SuchaprocessrequiresresourceswhichisdifficultforarelativelysmallNGOwithlimitedornocorefunding.Buildinginaninceptionphaseforcountry-specificprogrammeplanningisusefulforfutureprogrammes.LearningfordonorsmaybetoconsidermeanstoenableNGOstoinvestinmoredetailedcommunity-basedprogrammeassessment,designandplanningthroughresourcesforinstanceforthosewhichsucceedinthefirstphaseofapplicationprocesses.

2. Sustainability–buildinmoreresourcesforfollowuptocommunitiesfollowingperformances.BuildingonthesuccessoftheSAFEapproachwithfollow-upcommunityvisitsaswellastrainingforcommunityleadersconsiderthismodel.Inaddition,explorethepotentialofbuildingcommunity-baseddramagroupsincommunitieswherethepartnersperformtosustaindialogueincommunities,givemorecontroltothecommunityaboutthefocusoftheirdialogueandtobuildonthemomentumthepartnerperformancestimulates.Theartisticdirectorcouldhaveresponsibilitytotrainthesegroupsandprovideadditionalsupporte.g.throughtwiceayearvisits.

3. Mediaandmarketing–ensuresufficienttimeisallowedtoenablemarketingofperformancesandresourcesavailabletoengagethemedia,actinginonopportunitiesforinterviewsandpromotingtheirattendanceatperformancesandspecialeventse.g.pressconferences.Providetrainingforactors,artisticandpartnerstaffwhowillbeinterviewedinthemediatoensurekeymessagesarecommunicated.DevelopasharedmediaengagementstrategybetweenpartnersandMRGatcountryandinternationalleveltoengagelocalandinternationalmediatosustainthedialogueonstereotypeswhichperformancesandscreeningsstimulate.

4. Advocacy–establishclarityregardingtheadvocacyaimsandmessagesthrougheachpartnerdevelopinganadvocacystrategyandplan.DevelopasharedadvocacystrategyandplanincludingMRGactionattheinternationallevel.

5. Evidenceandlearning–buildingreaterresourcesforfutureprogrammetofacilitatethegatheringofevidenceandlearningthroughouttheprogrammeandformorein-depthevaluationandresearchduringandattheprogrammecompletion.Thiswouldincludesurveysand/orvisitsbacktoasignificantproportionofcommunities,morethan50%inwhichperformancestookplace.Inadditionmorein-depthqualitativeworkwouldbeundertakenatcommunitylevelinthelanguageofthecommunity–possiblyfollowingresearchtrainingaspartoftheprogramme.

6. MRGsupport-Provideadditionaltechnicalinputtopartnersinmarketing,mediaengagement,advocacyandmonitoringandevaluation.ThiscanbedrawninpartfromMRG’sstaffandshouldincluderesourcesforstafftoallocatedaystoeachpartnerthroughvisitsorfromtheUKbaseasneededduringtheprogrammeinadditiontosessionsatpartners'meetings.


7. Linkages-Supportpartnerstoidentifywaystolinkthestreettheatreprogrammetotheirother

activitiestomaximiseimpact.Wheretheydonothavetheexpertiseorcapacitytofollowuponissuesraisedbyminoritycommunitiese.g.suchaslandtenure,poverty,employmentoreducationensurethatpartnershipsareinplacefromthebeginningoftheprogrammeorsoonafteraparticularissueemergessopartnerscanseeksupportoforworkwithotherorganisationswithrelevantexpertise(wheretheseexist.)ImprovedepthandconsistencyoflinkageswithotherMRGprogrammeswhicharerelevantsuchasmediaandadvocacytrainingactivities.


Annexes

Annex1 Termsofreference

Annex2 Peopleinvolvedinevaluation

Annex3 Interviewanddiscussionchecklists

Annex4 Performanceandcontentanalysis

Annex5 Countrypartnerresults

Annex6 Partnermonitoringforms-RwandaandKenya


Documents

Street Theatre Programme: Final Evaluation...MRG Street Theatre programme final evaluation May 2013 [email protected] Page iii enabled by an overall advocacy strategy at