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Send to friendEstablished in 1989, Africa Network for Integrated Development (RADI) employs female paralegals and well-known actors to demystify laws around violence against women by using educational theater routines. RADI first recognized the need for legal education following national civil law reform in 1999 that gave recourse to vulnerable people (i.e., women and children).RADI took advantage of existing support groups, called mbottayes, where women throughout Senegal meet weekly to discuss issues that affect their daily lives. Mbottayes encourage participation by imposing fines on women for non-attendance. RADI drew additional audiences to mbottayes by promoting popular comedic entertainers who perform sketches about violence against women and other human rights abuses.
Female paralegals and comedians meet with mbottayes to identify and understand human rights issues. In order to break the silence around abuse, the actors first use jokes and amusement to convey legal and human rights messages in a comfortable, non-threatening setting. Comedians then interact with audience members and select one or two participants to perform in a series of role-play exercises.
The audience participants spend 10-15 minutes with the paralegal and comedians planning and rehearsing a role-play sketch. Role-play activities focus on real-life situations and highlight the dynamics of family violence. During this planning time, the paralegal presents participants with new changes in civil rights law and alternative behaviors to address violence against women. The actors, on the other hand, creatively develop dialogue, plot and presentation.
After the sketch is performed, the paralegal engages the audience in a discussion emphasizing issues raised by role-playing in addition to legal recourse and human rights awareness. Women are then given time to debate these topics and give feedback on their impressions of the sketch. At the end of the meeting, the paralegal again presents the group with information on reformed laws and how women can use these changes effectively.
Women who have attended these performances go back into their communities and homes and share new information about their legal rights with others. In particular, many women promote the sketches by word of mouth, noting the fun and creativity experienced by working with well-known actors.
Another strength of this tactic is that it reaches women in rural areas and informs them of changes in civil law. As a tool for legal advocacy, the comedic role-plays also equip women with the ability to use the law when their human rights have been violated. As a result, the number of women confronting violence against women is increasing and some women have even taken their cased before the Senegalese Supreme Court.
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