Jana Sanskriti

Background:

Jana Sanskriti was the first group in India to practice theatre of the oppressed conceptualized by Augusto Boal in Brazil. Under this form of theatre the oppressed speak, act and express their social and political will. With this theatre it is possible to build up a cultural movement that is based on humanism and equips people to fight against oppression. The 25 theatre teams active under the banner of Jana Sanskriti in West Bengal today comprise of men and women of agricultural worker families. Jana Sanskriti has 8 all-women theatre teams, perhaps another first in India. Jana Sanskriti has developed teams in the States of Jharkhand, Tripura, Orissa, Delhi, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat. In the last year under the initiative of Jana Sanskriti the Federation of Theatre of the Oppressed, India was formed. The Project Holder, Mr. Sanjay Ganguly, was initially drawn by the political movements but later got disillusioned due to several factors (culture of monologue) which he tried to counter within the organization and through its theatre. His initial interest in theatre developed through rural performance of a folk art form. He has worked on the ‘Theatre of Opressed’ with various forums and organizations like Rishi Valley Rural Education Project of Andhra Pradesh, Council of Churches in India of Godhra in Gujarat and Adibasi Kisan Sangathan of M.P. He received the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship for the project entitled “Empowerment of Women through Theatre” 1997-2000.

Situation:

The reference area of 11 Panchayats falls in the Sunderban region of South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. Jana Sanskriti believes that two classes exist in society. One class speaks and the other class listens. The former class instructs and the latter waits for the instructions. The latter class in Jana Sanskriti’s view is oppressed. Jana Sanskriti believes that the prime reason for such oppression is the culture of monologue. Such can only be removed through the culture of dialogue, in other words through direct democratization of all levels of the society. Through its interventions Jana Sanskriti, seeks to stop the oppressed people from thinking that they are inferior, weak and incapable of analytical thought. They must become aware of their ability to plan constructive action and provide dynamic leadership in the process of development of human society.

The essential first step in the process is the establishment of dialogue at all levels – for which Jana Sanskriti chose theatre as the medium of expression and opinion building. In Theatre of the Oppressed, the oppressed speak, act and express their social and personal will. Jana Sanskriti recognizes that theatre is only a key with which the door of freedom can be opened.  Jana Sanskriti has not confined itself to the role of a theatre group. From its very inception it has played the role of an organization. Over a period of time it has worked with a number of NGOs engaged in working on women’s empowerment in West Bengal and outside. Thus it has dealt with a variety of issues ranging from payment of equal wages to women and men, alcoholism and atrocities on women to citizens’ rights, awareness on women’s health and education.

Objectives:

• Collation of quality standard educational practices and parameters through people’s opinion.
• Formation of Manabadhikar Suraksha Manchas (Human Rights Protection Committees) to take up local issues of concern along with education.
• Capacity building of community completed providing input on setting quality standards and parameters through information on educational aspects.

Review:

Jana Sanskriti is a new CRY partner with which partnership was initiated in 2008. Jana Sanskriti believes that every individual has the capacity to think and analyze. Human beings reinvent themselves everyday through their social life. But vested political powers and their allies working to hold on their reigns deny these truths. They prevent creation of such space that help people to think, analyze and reinvent. This results in common people becoming unaware of their potential and resultantly becoming indifferent or suffering from inferiority complex. In this context Jana Sanskriti believes that perfection lies within every human and the journey towards reaching it is education.

In India, Jana Sanskriti is the only exponent of Forum theatre in which members of the theatre team select, construct and narrate a social problem from their daily life. Spectators come on stage to enact the solutions they have thought of, debating with trained activists on the feasibility of the solutions suggested. Thus individuals publicly engage in tackling a problem that has thus far provoked the most profound cultural silence and acceptance. Over the years it has been experienced by Jana Sanskriti activists that the spect-acting has motivated people to be active outside theatre as well.

However the efforts are not only limited to in stage theatre. Such theatre performances are repeated within a time frame at the same venue. The spectators turned into spect-actors are formed into groups. Such groups then bring people around them and start discussing social issues concerning them. From here actions emerge. Hence the gradual transformation from Acting to Action to Activism takes place.

Plans:

Jana Sanskriti’s programs aim to look at quality education from a people’s perspective and not from the perspective of academicians or intellectuals. Attempts will be made to incorporate or collect peoples demand for quality education, what they think as quality through the medium of theatre.

• Ensuring Quality education for all children at the Pre and Primary level – collation of quality standard educational practices and parameters through people’s opinion.
• Formation of 2 Manabadhikar Suraksha Manchas (Human Rights Protection Committees) to take up local issues of concern along with education.
• 6 initiatives taken (4 by old committees and 2 by new committees) on local social issues.
• Capacity building of community completed providing input on setting quality standards and parameters through information on educational aspects.

 

Budget Summary (January to December 2009)

 

Budget heads	Budget (USD)
Right to Development	11,353
Right to Survival	4,029
Right to Protection	732
Administration	2198
Total Approved Budget	18,312