theatre of the oppressed

One of my goals while in Montreal has been to expand, explore and develop some of my existing skills and passions. And I’m finding that education and community building are both continual themes in this journey.

So following these themes, I recently participated in a two-day facilitator training workshop on Theatre of the Oppressed techniques.

Using theatre as a transformation tool, Theatre of the Oppressed is a style of community-based education empowering groups to explore social issues, resolve conflict and build community.

Augusto Boal – a Brazilian politician, actor and activist – developed this form of theatre in the 1970s. And one major goal of Theatre of the Oppressed is the transformation of audience members (traditionally passive observers) into ‘spect’-actors where they actively participate in not only creating dialogue and finding solutions to problems but also acting itself.

Boal says that: “Acting can be done anywhere, even in theatres and acting can be done by everyone, even actors.”

I first came across Theatre of the Oppressed last November at the NASCO conference in Michigan State, US where I attended a shorter workshop on the method in relation to power, privilege, space and cooperative living.

Upon arrival back to Montreal, I facilitated a workshop based on what I’d learned at Coop Sur Genereux’s 2009 Skill Share event. Around 15 people participated and we had great fun exploring some of the techniques together.

It would be a gross understatement to say I’m excited about the technique. I’m hooked! It is such a creative way to explore social issued both at the personal and community (local/global) level.

Our instructor – Jessica Bleurer – is also going to send me some material for using these techniques for environmental justice issues as well.

Alongside, a plethora of new warm up and ice-breaker games, over the course of the weekend we explored three different styles of Theatre of the Oppressed: Forum Theatre, Invisible Theatre and Image Theatre. We also looked at street theatre.

Jessica is one of the best facilitators I’ve ever experienced. I feel so lucky to have studied (if briefly) with her. Her insight into group dynamics, ability to modify course material to suit specific groups, ability to facilitate discussion and guide groups to probe into deep analysis was outstanding. I’ve learned so many new things about both myself and facilitation.

Using creative tools such as theatre for social change appeals so much to my psychology. I’m really excited to explore these new tools in my own education and community building practices…

2010 winter olympics have begun

Vancouver saw the onset of the 2010 Winter Olympics this past weekend and unless you’ve been hiding in the depths of your own dark bubble, you’ll know that some people ain’t too happy about this.

On February 13 the Heart Attack March saw protesters aiming to block the vital transportation routes leading to the olympic games events.While the previous afternoon over 3,000 protesters converged for a peaceful rally and march through downtown Vancouver to the site of the Games’ opening ceremonies.

You can read some independent coverage of the protests at rabble.com, IPS and Vancouver’s media coop.

Check out this video to see scenes from the Heart Attack March and discussions about why this event took place.

For an easy-to-digest summary of why the Olympics are being met with resistance look here.

Alongside stealing native land, we’ve seen increased homelessness, social cleansing, ecological destruction, corruption, corporate invasion, displacement of the poor to name just a few… all this for the glory of seeing our beloved sports stars do their thing? Can victory and glory really be achieved when it is attained at the cost of another?

Here’s another summary of what’s going on:

travelling, privilege and homelessness

In the past, much of my travelling has revolved around – though not exclusively – outdoor adventures, hiking through the Himalayas in Nepal or India for example, or climbing in Thailand. I’ve often volunteered with various places along the way (eg. English teaching and mural painting in India), but these were never the focus of the trip. The flavour of my time spent in Canada is different. While it started out with a bike tour in B.C., it has evolved into a trip where I’m spending a fair amount of time volunteering and learning heaps about social issues from new and intense perspectives.

I started volunteering with the Inter-tribal Youth Drop-in Centre at the Native Friendship Centre last week. It’s a youth centre for first nations people. Friday nights are their music jam night. We organised – and plan to do this weekly – a big vegetarian feast for the youth. Essentially the centre serves to create a safe, non-judgmental environment for all indigenous youth aged 13-29 years old. They have all the usual resources you generally find in a youth drop-in centre: pool table, computers, music equipment, couches, books, video games, and a supportive atmosphere.

I also recently attended the festival for the homeless, which you can read all about a good friend’s perspective here. Basically, ATSA creates an annual urban village in downtown Montreal to provide an eclectic space for the street folk of Montreal to receive support through food, clothing, warm shelter, music, and arts program. A few friends and I spent the week sourcing and cooking food to give to the 24-hour kitchen held onsite.

I’m not sure why, but the theme of homelessness and food seems to be a running theme through my activities lately…

Volunteering with Food Not Bombs, for example, has been a huge learning experience. Each Saturday we organise food donations from local vendors or dumpster dive their bins. We then cook up a huge feast of vegan goodness to serve to street folk at Metro Berri UQAM in downtown Montreal. It’s intense at times, yet I’ve come to realise just how important these kinds of services are for some people.

Finding access to healthy vegetarian food if you live on the streets is not easy, a lady – now a regular – told me recently. Most food banks and soup kitchens serve meat in their main course. Now in her eighties, she proudly introduced herself as a vegetarian for the last 35 odd years.

I like the atmosphere that Food Not Bombs creates during meal times. The food is available to anyone who walks past. The food prep people eat as well. It’s more like a picnic shared amongst friends, the boundary between “us” and “them” broken down and shattered.

Yet despite the fact that food not bombs is easily accessible, popular (we’ve served up to about 60 people on one occasion), and in-demand, it seems there are people intent on putting a stop to it.

The police kicked us out of the metro a few weeks back. Their attitude was something along the lines of: “If we let you serve here it sets a precedent for others. And just imagine if everyone started doing this sort of thing”

Yeah. Sure. Just imagine the kind of world we’d be in if everyone started sharing food, love and kindness to the less fortunate amongst us. Gosh, I shudder to think what would become of our society!

It’s been a humbling experience for me sharing food and conversation with people that I have been conditioned to ignore when they attempt to stop me on the streets to ask for help. Looking into their eyes as I exchange small talk with them, I see someone just like me; someone who deserves love, honor and respect; someone who has just as much right to the basic necessities of life.
It’s also put a lot of perspective on my personal politics. My attitude towards ‘consumerist activism’ is shifting. Yes, we can make a difference by eating less meat, buying local organic food, buying less crap, riding our bikes etc…

I agree with all that…

but…

My work with the homeless has taught me that the ‘we’ in consumerist activism simply doesn’t equate to everyone. Many people just can’t afford to buy local, organic food, for example. Many people are simply fighting for their own survival, often a result of exploitation and abuse by others. Basically, I’m learning about privilege. It is a privilege to have choices when (and if) we shop. Consumerist activism is a concept for the privileged (ie. White, middle-class)…

Don’t get me wrong; it’s important to talk to this societal group about their choices. But I now better understand that this flavour of activism talks specifically to this privileged few. And furthermore, I’m beginning to realise just how crucial it is to include concepts of white privilege alongside these theories in order to provide the full picture… otherwise we’re just perpetuating the neo-liberal attitude of individualism offered to us by our ‘oh-so-wonderful’ leaders…

We don’t all have the same choices. We don’t all have access to the same food, shelter, water, resources and love. We don’t all necessarily have the power to change the world. We don’t all necessarily have the privilege to make a difference.

Rant over.

nasco conference

I’m heading down to the states on Thursday morning to participate in the North American Students of Cooperation’s annual conference. Providing education and resources to its members and co-op organizing groups, NASCO acts to educate the public in cooperative principles and practices, and promotes the co-op movement as a whole.

Each November, over 400 participants from all over the United States, Canada and beyond converge in Ann Arbor, Michigan to share ideas, learn new skills, and look at issues affecting the cooperative movement worldwide.

Since Coop Sur Genereux is a member, I thought it would be fun to: a. learn more about cooperative principles; b. go on a roadtrip to Ann Arbor, Michigan (11hours one way); c. meet some new, interesting people

Alongside three days of workshops, seminars and discussion groups focussing on cooperative living issues, I’ve also signed up for a full-day’s leadership training in anti-opression and popular education.

This year’s conference theme is In Our Backyards: Defending the Environmental Commons and aims to focus the conference on the social injustices of mainstream environmentalism…

Here’s the conference blurb:

In an era where the word “green” is used to describe everything from construction practices to the economy, environmental sustainability is in the spotlight more than ever as environmental injustices continue to threaten the health, safety and sustainability of communities everyday.

As leaders of the cooperative movement, we must ask ourselves what it means to engage in environmental issues at the local, regional, and global level.  How do we transform mainstream environmentalism into environmental justice and create and support just, sustainable (re)uses of land? What opportunities emerging from economic and environmental crisis exist to grow the cooperative movement?

At the 2009 NASCO Institute, we will build on last year’s exploration of cooperatives and land rights to explore the role and future of cooperatives in the current greenwashed recession with an internationalist perspective.  We will develop strategies for promoting healthy relationships with each other, with our land and resources, and across cultures.  Through workshops, discussions, film screenings, panels, and caucuses, we will rethink how we produce, transport, and consume; share everyday tools for just sustainability in cooperative practices; and create cooperative solutions that spark change in “our backyards.”

So stay tuned for a report from Ann Arbor!