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The real benefit of street theater lies in one fact: It is a spectacle. Spectacles are out-of-the-ordinary events which present an abstraction of life. A plethora of evidence based studies suggest significant unmet needs for a variety of methods of contraception, yet contraception is absent in everyday conversation. The variety reflects the diversity of health, lifestyle and social circumstances in which women find themselves, with varying degrees of personal agency regarding their own fertility. Introducing an external 'spectacle' of sorts, to raise the issue of birth spacing, contraception and women's ability to determine her fertility are subjects that many simply lack facilities to address. Street theater is an effective means by which to introduce topics into public discourse and eventually, raise public awareness.
There were a few service providers from the DIMPA Network present at one staging of the performance. Abt Program Manager Sashwati Banerjee gave the feedback that their presence lent a greater sense of legitimacy to the message of the street theater play. Additionally, this easily serves to advertise the services of the providers and is an excellent way to link the traveling group of performers directly to the local context. Providers like Dr. Rakhi Mehotra recognized the potential synergy in the collaboration between providers and street theater, particularly among low income groups who may have limited exposure to mass media. One provider even suggested street theater productions near the provider's clinic in efforts to build local awareness.
The presence of local service providers at the performances may well alleviate any concerns about social differences/distances in language and class between the performers and the communities in which they work. Service providers should be encouraged to attend the street theater performances and field questions from audience members at the end of the performance. This synergetic relationship would allow both service providers and the local population to engage each other in a non-clinical setting, breaking barriers and diminishing reticence to discuss taboo subject matter in order to build a positive community dialogue about health.
Diepiriye S. Kuku-Siemons, MPH (Tulane) is a researcher/writer/consultant based in New Delhi, pursuing a PhD in Sociology focusing on urban sexuality and globalization. His primary areas of interest are Reproductive Health Justice and Public Health Communications. |
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