Congo: Theatre for Reintegrating Child Soldiers

Summary

The project will work with former child soldiers in Bukavu and villages in the South-Kivu Province on theatre projects to break down stereotypes about child soldiers and eliminate their use.

What is the issue, problem, or challenge?

Tens of thousands of children are used as soldiers in DR Congo. They have been cut off for years from their family, education and any sense of normal life. People often consider them as beyond redemption. Their own family may reject them for the crimes they’ve been involved in. In these circumstances, former child soldiers are often tempted to go back to military camps or get lost on the road trying to survive while the only means they’ve learned in armies is violence.

How will this project solve this problem?

Centre Lokole, with local theatre troupe “CHEM-CHEM” composed of former child soldiers, will organise open-air theatre identifying and voicing key issues which affected them when they were child soldiers and the many challenges they currently face.

Potential Long Term Impact

The project will help break stereotypes communities have developed about child soldiers and give the kids the chance to do something positive. It will also convey the implications of being a child soldier and aid in eliminating child soldiers.

Project Message

”When I’m on the stage, I become somebody else. I forget about the difficulties I’ve gone through in the bush. For sure, theatre helps me a lot”
- Merveille Mweswa, Ex-child soldier, now an actress in theatre troupe

Additional Documentation

This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).

Resources