Drama Groups
There have been drama groups in Gambian villages from time immemorial. They are part of the life of communities.
This is why they were seen as an excellent potential carrier of communication in the struggle against malaria.
“We trained the drama group members in Malaria Competence, focusing on key interventions with tailored messages,” says Adama Jane Sonko. “Now, they write their own little dramas. They write songs to transmit all the prevention messages.” These groups are systematically invited to join the local meetings to provide information about malaria. And the National Malaria Control Programme signs small contracts with them. For a modest fee, they perform in their villages and they also perform where there is no trained drama group.
NSGA has developed great expertise in this area. Its professional drama group performs in different places, brings life to meetings, and trains local groups.
“A drama group is a very powerful tool,” states Abu Carr Sisawo, NSGA facilitator. “With a small drama, you can summarise the content of the Self Assessment framework. Another advantage is that dramas are always performed in the local language (and there are plenty of those in The Gambia!). Drama groups keep on illustrating the same main themes, but they enrich them with allusions to what is being lived in the community. Their plays are not recitations: they invent, improvise, and enjoy very much performing.”
And the pleasure is fully shared by the community!
In Maka Farafenni, all the population was gathered at nightfall. There were hundreds of persons. The NSGA facilitators had set up a large screen. And soon, thanks to a generator brought on top of our car, everyone could watch small NSGA films about malaria. Then, it was the turn of the local drama group to perform. The play showed a family. The child was sick. A friend arrived and the discussion started. Should the child be brought to the marabout? Should we give him paracetamol? The child was getting worse and the discussion sharper... and often hilarious. The viewers did not miss a word of it!
Finally, reason - and health - won. The message, this time, was about not using paracetamol for a malaria fever because, after a short improvement, the state of health of the patient gets worse. He or she must be brought right away to the Health Centre.
“As you can see,” insisted Abu Carr Sisawo, “they are not reciting a lesson. They have taken ownership of these messages and the stories are their stories.”