Engaging with Human Rights through Theater: A Case Studyof the Vanuatu Rainbow Disability Theatre GroupAmy Mawdsley

W

an Smolbag (wsb) plays a critical role in the wellbeing of
Vanuatu and Pacific Island communities, whether it is engaging
youth in theater, providing reproductive health care, creating
dialogue around good governance or protecting fragile Pacific ecosystems.
To give a sense of wsb’s approach to human rights education and what makes
it a unique organization, the following are responses from people who workat wsb to the question, “What makes Wan Smolbag so remarkable?”[At Wan Smolbag], we talk a lot about life as a human being – that’s why they’re interested in talking to us. What we talkabout are things in daily life. We talk about the issues that are
affecting people. If you go out and talk about the Rights of theChild, for example, they will listen, but it may not really change
how they behave. But [we] deal with things in life, and this iswhat’s really interesting for communities. When we go out they
all have lots of questions for us.
I think the most unique thing about Wan Smolbag is that
we create a platform for dialogue, and I think that’s where thedrama makes us so unique. That medium is just a very powerful
way of engaging communities.
The way we treat people in the organization - Recognizing
people as being people and not like part of a big machine. And
also the way we work with communities – we are not comingwith an approach of “we know what is best for you and you needto do this.” We are actually finding out about their lives and using that information to create a workshop or drama productionthat helps them to discuss the issues, and find ways of addressing
them or improving their lives.

The following paper provides an example of wsb’s approach to humanrights education, which was not premeditated as human rights education,25

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but grew out of a natural progression from the wsb community theatergroup. This paper begins with a history of the growth of wsb and its programs, followed by case studies of the current play by the Rainbow Disability
Theatre Group’s play, Ae Blong Hem I Blaen Nomo. The next section discusses the strengths of and barriers to wsb’s approach. This involves factors including writing a play which is both engaging and informative, anddefining the group as a recreational activity or a job. The paper concludes
with a summary of the strengths and weaknesses of the wsb approach andkey elements of the wsb model which may be of use in adapting it to otherorganizations and contexts.
Almost twenty-five years ago, wsb1 began as a small theater company offifteen voluntary actors, and then five paid actors, focusing on theater andinitiating dialogue around reproductive health and population. Reproductive
health was a clear starting point as these issues were not openly discussed,
and there was a lack access to reproductive health services and information.
wsb’s name is from a Bislama2 phrase meaning “one small bag”; over the lasttwenty-five years, the theater groups have traveled to communities acrossVanuatu, to create exciting and engaging performances and workshops,
with only “one small bag.” Based on identified challenges and gaps, wsb organically expanded its focus on theater and reproductive health, to include
several issues including governance, education and the environment.

Engaging with Human Rights through Theater: A Case Study27

Wsb built partnerships with the Blacksands community, on the peri-urban outskirts of Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila, through a large community theater project in 1997 (see photo on opposite page). Wsb circulated leaflets,seeking volunteers to work on a community play, which surprisingly resulted in six months of workshops with eighty people ranging in age from ten to
sixty. The group created a two-hour play dealing with poverty and domestic
violence, amidst song and laughter. Both the community and wsb wanted
to continue this partnership. When asked how wsb could give back, thecommunity identified a reproductive health clinic as a needed contribution.

Actors performing Tijim hem, February 2013. (Davis Ragonmal, 2013)

The community play group and wsb established the Kam Pusum Hed
Clinic in 1998, providing confidential services and counseling for family planning, sexually transmitted infections (stis), and Human Immunodeficiency
Virus/Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (hiv/aids). The clinic began
to test for hiv in 2002, and in 2005, wsb established an additional healthclinic in Vanuatu’s northern city of Luganville, Santo. Peer Educators playa key role in the wsb health program, as they travel to and visit diverse
communities, to provide counseling, referrals, contraception, and support
to community members. Over the last few years, the Peer Educators havefacilitated series of workshops for both men who have sex with men (msm)28

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and Commercial Sex Workers (csw). While wsb was initially led to workin reproductive health through an interest in the topic, ongoing community
requests and enormous demand for reproductive healthcare and education
has maintained health as a central program.
Numerous theater productions and plays echo this focus on health topics, such as wsb’s first play on aids in 1989, fourteen years before the first
local case was confirmed in Vanuatu. Other wsb plays portray social issues
to open dialogue. For instance, the 2013 production of Tijim hem is built
around true stories about violence; whether it is between a married couple,a teacher and a student, a police officer and a young person, or between
neighbors. The stories and words of this play are from direct quotations
from interviews conducted by the actors, in peri-urban communities of Port
Vila, making the play all the more powerful and challenging to watch. Other
productions deal with issues of sexuality, homophobia, pornography, drug
abuse, and more. While the plays address sensitive and emotional subject
matter, they always include humor, song, and fantastic acting which makes
them very watchable and engaging.
Invariably tied to human health is environmental health. This is particularly obvious in Vanuatu, as 76 percent of the population lives in rural
areas, mainly supporting themselves through subsistence farming and fishing.3 In 1995, the Year of the Turtle in the Pacific, wsb collected stories andinformation on the current perception of turtles from a number of villages
on the island of Efate and close off-shore islands. The resulting play was taken back to these villages. To continue this conversation on turtles between
the communities and wsb, communities decided to identify turtle monitors. In 2001, the wsb turtle monitors across Vanuatu became the VanuaTai Monitors Association, meaning land and sea monitors. The network,
which continues to focus primarily on turtles, has grown to include five
hundred monitors, who feed data into a Pacific-wide database. The environmental program is fully embedded in wsb world with theater productions,school programs, teaching resources, films and songs, waste management
programs, an international volunteer program and recycling projects.
When working in health, the environment and other areas, wsb partners with government, including the Department of Women’s Affairs andthe Ministries of Health, Education, and Fisheries. In Vanuatu, there arecorrupt politicians, government departments lacking in skills and funding,and a lack of information on the political system. In response, wsb began toEngaging with Human Rights through Theater: A Case Study29

develop plays and videos focusing on governance, such as Vot Long Pati Ia(1998), which explains the process and importance of voting. This film has
been popular across both Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea. The governanceprogram includes workshops for chiefs and their successors, identified community leaders, and community members. The program is echoed by thegood governance of wsb which conducts decisionmaking through open andcollective dialogues, including all interested staff members.
Vanuatu has a very young population. Over one third of the population
is between twelve and thirty years old.4 Noting both this trend and demandfor improved education, wsb began creating projects that contributed tothe education system in Vanuatu and programs specifically for youth. Wsb
found there to be a lack of resources for teachers, and began to develop
a huge number of resources, many which accompany films, radio; or Love
Patrol, the wsb TV show. The response to these materials has been extremely positive, with teacher training and material dissemination spreading to neighboring Solomon Islands and Fiji. In conjunction with supporting
the education system, wsb has established wildly popular youth centers inboth Port Vila and Luganville. The programs available include: sports, nutrition, agriculture, photography, pottery, sewing, literacy, music, theater anddance. The youth programs provide activities and opportunities for youth
whose families cannot afford school fees.
In 2013, wsb is producing its seventh season of its hugely popular soapopera-style TV show, Love Patrol, which ties all of the diverse subject matters into one project. Love Patrol centers on the lives of people living in Port
Vila, and covers issues including domestic violence, hiv/aids, corruption,
pornography, and crime. Love Patrol is produced in English, so that it ismore accessible to a Pacific-wide audience. It is produced alongside teaching resources which cover the same topics.5
In short, wsb did not begin with a direct focus or intention to engage
in human rights advocacy or education, but began to engage indirectly withthese issues in response to a need. The approach that wsb takes is not a oneway approach of explaining human rights perspectives or ideals, but rather
an open, two-way discussion which draws on a variety of formats including theater, music, dance, and participatory workshops. The following casestudy reflects the design model and approach of wsb projects.

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Case Study: Rainbow Theatre GroupThe Rainbow Theatre group is a group of nineteen ni-Vanuatu actors who
have created plays, workshops, radio dramas, and a film with wsb and the
Vanuatu Society for Disabled People (vsdp). The formation of the group was
first discussed by some of the group’s core actors, Francis, Willie and Arthur,with wsb’s scriptwriter in the 1990s. During this time, wsb produced theplay and film, Things We Don’t Talk About. This production tells stories
about people with disabilities, and the attempts to “cure” them through traditional medicines and faith healing. Eventually both the people and theirdisabilities are accepted.
In September 2010, the Adelaide-based No Strings Attached Theatre of
Disability visited wsb to run a week of workshops with wsb youth and community members with disabilities, culminating in their own performance. It
consisted of a series of scenes depicting the barriers of people with disabilities, such as one man’s inability to get a passport because he could not access the passport office. This process resulted in the creation of the Rainbow
Theatre Group. In April 2011, wsb’s first joint production with the Vanuatu
Society for Disabled People (vsdp) was performed in primary schools inPort Vila where teachers say it changed their students’ perception of disability. The play, Folem Rod Ia, is a custom story about accepting oneself anddisabilities. In September 2011, Rainbow Theatre Group worked on three
radio dramas, which were based on custom stories that the actors had collected. The titles are Team Angel, The Snake and the Boy, and The Woman
and the Moon.
Most recently, the group’s third play, Ae Blong Hem I Blaen Nomo, hasbeen the first play by the group that has an accompanying workshop andfilm (in progress), and is examined in this case study. The current project isrunning on one time funding from the New Zealand Basket blong Sapotem
Kommuniti kamap (nz bsk). The key parts of the project include the playitself, the post-performance workshops, and a film on the play.
The play was written in Bislama by wsb’s scriptwriter, Jo Dorras, who
canvassed people with disabilities for their experiences to create the plot.
She has used examples of experiences of people with disabilities to write
all of the Rainbow Theatre Group productions. The play tells the story of ablind man’s life, from childhood to adulthood. He is continuously ostracizedby his classmates and community. Eventually, he attempts to commit sui-Engaging with Human Rights through Theater: A Case Study

31cide, but realizes in the end that he can live a full life. The core issues that theplay deals with are the experience of being disabled and going to school, theintense prejudice that people experience, and whether or not people withdisabilities can or should be allowed to be in relationships.
The play has been performed between fifty and sixty times around theisland of Efate in schools and communities. This project is directed towards
the general public. Through this project, people of all ages, genders, andboth people with a disability and without, have engaged in discussions about
the role of people with disabilities in communities. Performances have been
held in villages and schools. In the future, the group is very interested in
advocating for politicians to focus on disability issues and rights.
Following the play, the theater group holds workshops with the audience. The group provides a statement such as “people with disabilities shouldbe allowed to go to school” or “people with disabilities have a right to havechildren and get married.” The participants are then asked to demonstratethat they “agree,” “disagree,” or “don’t know” by standing in a correspondingarea. Each group discusses and presents reasons for their position, and everyone is given the option to change their position at any time.
In an additional activity, the audience learns an important achievement from the lives of each of the actors. The facilitator holds up a sign and

Wan Smolbag Rainbow theater group performing their 2013 play, Ae Blong Hem I Blaen Nomo
(Davis Ragonmal, 2013)

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H u m a n R i g h t s E d u c at i o n i n A s i a - Pa c i f i creads out a particular achievement written on it. The audience then guesses
whose achievement it is, choosing from the actors seated in front of them.
This process is repeated until all of the actors have been matched with theirachievement. The achievements include: “won a bronze medal at the Beijing
Paralympics”, “holds a degree in tourism”, “has married and has a son”, “hastraveled to 17 countries” and more. Then each actor is introduced and asked
to tell the story of how they became disabled and how they had come to realize their achievement. The audience is very engaged in this activity, shouting
out who they think has each achievement, and enthusiastically applauding
when they find out whose it is, and after hearing the personal stories.
The play has been filmed, and a film is in production. The film acts as
an additional tool in initiating dialogue around the rights of people with disabilities. The film includes the full performance, and interviews with community members and students who have seen the performance and been
involved in the workshop. It will be distributed to Vanuatu schools andvillages.6
Challenges
While this project has had significant impacts, it was challenging to design
and produce. The Director and Scriptwriter described multiple challenges
for this project including time management, defining the project, definingroles, and sensitivity to culture and disability. From an educational perspective, the design of the project strives to have a positive impact on the audience and create a safe environment for performers, while being both educational and entertaining.
Time is an important factor in creating a play. It requires consistentattendance and attention of everyone in the group. One approach that thegroup took was to meet, and have about an hour of spending time together
before starting to work on the play. This gives an opportunity for the groupto catch up and get to know each other better, strengthens friendships, andresults in less chatting during the rehearsals.
Another challenge is how the group views the project – as a job or only
an activity; this becomes important when dealing with issues of commitment, payment, and accepting new group members. If the group views the
project as a recreational activity, their commitment to it may be lower, andwhen they are faced with interpersonal conflict, they feel that they can ignore the problem, or just walk away. This response is not conducive to creat-

Engaging with Human Rights through Theater: A Case Study33

ing a play. When people with disabilities approached the group to join, thegroup discussed the possibilities, noting that if more people join, they would
each earn less money from the play. It was decided to not include additional
actors, as the project was well underway and the actors wanted to maintainthe group size and their individual incomes.
Having clear roles and responsibilities was essential. The director was
firm that he would be the only one to make criticisms during rehearsals,because otherwise, the actors would give frequent direction to the otheractors. It is important to involve caregivers, who come along with the actors, in the play so that they felt they had a place in the projects, and could
actively contribute. The group has fourteen members with disabilities, andthey come to the project with five caregivers, who provide support for those
who need it. They took the approach of including the caregivers as actors in
the play.
Sensitivity to both culture and disabilities were important for the director to keep in mind. In some scenes, the characters are bullying anothercharacter because of their disability. Comfort levels vary on what people arewilling to act in terms of this scenario which they have all likely experienced
firsthand. The group discussed how to go about this scene, and found waysof being honest and representative of their own experiences without making
themselves uncomfortable.
In terms of human rights education, wsb references human rights inthe post-play discussions, and portrays human rights in the productions
themselves. In most theater projects, wsb presents stories of personal experiences, and discusses the scenarios in the personal level. This approachis used because it is more relatable than abstract understandings of rights
which vary from person to person. For instance, one community member
may understand rights as constitutional rights, while another may see it assomething that is conditional, such as you have a right to go to school if yourparents can pay for school fees.
Content is important to consider in writing the play. For instance, wsb
has homosexual characters in its TV show, Love Patrol, because it creates asafe environment for the actors. In the context of Vanuatu, homosexuality
is rarely accepted. To have a play on homosexuality and tour to villages may
put actors in a dangerous position. Also with content, the project requires acontinuous source of scripts to keep the actors engaged. These plays all deal

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H u m a n R i g h t s E d u c at i o n i n A s i a - Pa c i f i cwith the challenges that are faced by people with disabilities, and ideally will
expand to other topics.
Impact and Critical analysis of experiences
Wsb does not expect drama to have an immediate and significant impact on
behavior. That said, it is extremely valuable to initiate dialogue on the role ofpeople with disabilities in communities where children with disabilities areteased, excluded, left at home, and not given the opportunity for learning,socializing, and challenging themselves. The actors have seen significant
changes in community’s responses to people with disabilities since they began performing. For instance, more people attend the plays, most community members say that they support the rights of people with disabilities in
the workshops, and individuals express that they have changed their beliefs
about and treatment towards people with disabilities. The following quotations from three actors describe the impact of the project on communities.
Most villages, if they have a disabled person, they just keepthem at home. They watch the play, and after say “We havelearned not to keep all the people with disabilities at the house.
We will take them to school and church.”… They tell us that “wewould insult and be disrespectful to people with disabilities but
we don’t anymore.”
The villagers tell me that before the performance, able bodied people see disable people as “second-class person.” Theysay, “You have a good play. We now get that people with andwithout disabilities are equal.” They understand that we are allone… Before the play, they don’t know, but after the workshop
and play, people say that they agree that people with disabilities
have rights.
The group talked about children with disabilities who they know, whohave directly benefited from this project, because after the group visits theschool, other children respect those with disabilities.
If the performance group goes to school, the students learn
not to look down, swear, laugh at or hurt people with disabilities… If one child who has a disability comes to the school after
the play, the kids understand that they are all the same. I know

Engaging with Human Rights through Theater: A Case Study

35

kids who have disabilities in grades 3, 7, and 8 who have had thisexperience.
One wsb staff member who worked closely with the Rainbow Theatre
Group significantly changed his perspectives through working with thegroup and seeing its play. He said that,
For me personally, they have definitely changed my way of
thinking. Before, I used to think they were useless and an extra
burden. I can honestly say that I am really ashamed. They arereally friendly. For a moment I didn’t see their disability and justtake them for who they are. Hopefully with the film, others will
see the way I do. I’m stunned. I’ve seen a blind guy act and hefinds his way around the stage. He has so much courage and confidence… I am really amazed by their ability to act despite thelimitation of disabilities… They have a voice inside them tellingthem to give up, but they fight every day. I not only see them as
equal, but it gives me a new perspective. Maybe I’m not challenging myself enough because a blind man can act. They arevery inspiring.
Responses from communities and schools included shifts in thinking
around people with disabilities. For instance some students said that they
never knew that people with disabilities have rights, and that they wereamazed and inspired to see the talent of the acting group. In the communities, people responded by saying that the performance was really powerful. One elderly woman compared the play to seeing one’s own child going
through this experience, and she said that she found it very moving.
The use of drama is important in connecting with community members. One wsb actor said that “people see you as an actor but they don’tknow that you’re not only an actor, you are also a community educator.”
Personal Impact
The impacts of this project on the lives of the actors are significant. People
with disabilities in Vanuatu are generally neglected, and not given the opportunity to have an education or connect with other people. As one WSB
employee put it, “People tend to neglect disabled people and treat them as
invisible.” One of the actors with a disability said that “People in town and36

H u m a n R i g h t s E d u c at i o n i n A s i a - Pa c i f i cpeople in villages, they think we are worthless and should only stay in thehome. You can’t have a friend like other people. You can’t learn anything.”
There are little to no other activities or work available for people with disabilities in Vanuatu.
This project provides an opportunity for people with disabilities tomeaningfully contribute to their community, make friends, try something
new and learn new skills. An actor said that “it feels like we are doing something with our lives.” The chance to leave the home and be around otherpeople is valued; “I like leaving my house and am happy that I could go study
in Fiji.” Challenging oneself and trying new things is important for everyone
in building confidence, and it is especially important for people with disabilities as they are constantly told what they cannot do. Another actor said,“Before I was mostly alone, and I didn’t realize that I’d become an actor, but
now I have acted in the sixth season of Love Patrol!” An actor described thedevelopment of confidence of a friend, and the group as a whole:
Before we were shy, but now we are loud – talking and calling to each other. For example, Mike didn’t talk much at all andnow he talks all the time. Being involved in this project brings
out his shyness and now everyone is outspoken, loud, and makes
a lot of noise. (Pseudonym used).
The actors have built strong friendships within and outside of the group;
one actor said, “I have made lots of friends by being involved in the play.
They all call out my name wherever I am – at wsb or at school or aroundtown.” Although their project is moving to rehearsals once per week, thegroup plans to participate in wsb pottery programs every week as a group.
In sum, through the project, the actors are involved in meaningful work,
develop a strong social network, and build confidence.
Benefits of this Format
This approach of using theater to begin talking about human rights issues
is engaging and welcoming. Because there is no right or wrong answer toworkshop questions, the audience feels comfortable to express their perspectives. The physicality of moving around is engaging and non-verbal. It
transcends language barriers, and keeps everyone actively engaged. The actors have found that working with communities through theater and work-

Engaging with Human Rights through Theater: A Case Study37

shops is more effective than only workshops or training sessions for starting
conversations:
We talk and advocate for our rights, but words are notenough. When we come with wsb and perform plays, our message stands out clearly in the play… Actions speak louder thanwords. When we just talk, it’s not enough, but when we performwith wsb, it opens the eyes and minds of the communities.
Before, when we only talked with communities, everyone didn’t get the message, but when we role play, everyone
understands.
Ae Blong Hem I Blaen Nomo acts as a vehicle for discussing the challenges for and role of people with disabilities in communities.
Key Elements of the WSB Approach
The following are some of the key elements of the wsb approach which may
be helpful in adapting this model to other contexts.
• Use performances as a starting point for discussions around humanrights.
• Design discussion and workshops so that there is no “right” answer.
• Respect everyone’s perspective and allow all perspectives to bevoiced.
• Do not rely heavily on the use of human rights and associated terminology which is difficult to relate to. Instead, use examples ofreal-life situations and talk about how everyone would deal withthem and why.
• Be responsive to political events. For instance, wsb conducted
workshops on the Family Protection Bill.
• Be responsive to community needs. wsb identified reproductive
health as an area which many people lacked knowledge of, and designed projects around this.
• Support community members in fulfilling roles in all dimensions oftheater, film production, workshops, etc.
• Keep workshops engaging by involving physical aspects and various forms of expression – writing, talking, debate, visual arts, tableaus, plays, etc.

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•
•

•
•

Provide accessible and relevant resources and training to communities and schools so they can run workshops independently.
Adopt a multi-media and multi-prong approach. For example, wsb’s
radio drama, Spare the Rod, is accompanied by a combined teaching manual and comic book with interactive activities. Similarly,
the wsb environment program includes school workshops, teaching resources, songs, films, plays, the Vanua-Tai Network, waste
management projects, and a volunteer program.
Build partnerships with communities, ngos, and government.
Work towards equality in gender, disability, and community representation in project staffing, payment, and responsibility.

Conclusion
In summary, the wsb Rainbow Theatre project is an example of how theater
can be used to effectively initiate discussion around human rights issues.
This format brings the focus back to the real-life experiences of people, in a
way that is accessible to varying education levels and ages.
Endnotes
To learn more about wsb and to access resources, visit http://wansmolbag.
org/DynamicPages.asp.
2
Bislama, one of the three national languages of Vanuatu, uses Melanesian
grammar on mostly English vocabulary.
3
Prime Minister’s Office, Vanuatu Millenium Development Goals 2010 Report,
September 2010.
4
Vanuatu National Statistics Office, 2009 Youth Monograph: Young People in
Vanuatu, 2012.
5
Wan Smolbag, Love Patrol Resource Guide, Series One to three, 2008. Availableat www.wansmolbag.org/DynamicPages.asp?cid=26&navID=34.
6
The film of the play (Ae Blo Hem I Blaen Nomo) is available at YouTube: www.
youtube.com/watch?=GCQdkpQRvfw. A short documentary on the play is alsoavailable on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHL-QeHxo0M.
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