Yale Travel Seminar in Tanzania

We're excited to share these photos from our trip to Tanzania this summer:

Our adventure this summer began with several days of training in New Haven with Fay Simpson, Gamal Palmer, and Myra Melford, as well as Company Cypher (plus a crash course in Swahili!).

We then spent two weeks with a group of Tanzanian artists, including Oliver John, Mkude Kilosa, Neema Maganga, Maulid Mohamed, Ian Mwaisunga, and Eliza Simon, at the Babawatoto Center in Dar es Salaam. We exchanged knowledge of Fay’s Lucid Body physical acting technique, and of a process for creating theater for social change, led by Mgunga Mwa Mnyenyelwa, the founder and director of Babawatoto.

After conducting interviews in the surrounding community of Mburahati kwa Jongo, we created a piece about issues affecting children and families in the local area. We then gave two outdoor performances of the piece, which incorporated participation by and dialogue with audience members about these concerns.

Other highlights of our trip included a safari in Mikumi National Park, lecture-demonstrations on the taarab music of Zanzibar and on the history of theater for social change in East Africa, and our closing Iftar (breaking of the Ramadan fast) at Babawatoto with members of the local community. Alex Enoch served as our guide to Dar, and helped document the experience with photo and video, while Wende Msemwa along with Ian were invaluable as our Swahili interpreters.

Thanks to everyone at the Yale School of Drama (especially Joan Channick, Deborah Berman, Emalie Mayo, and James Bundy), the Babawatoto Center, and beyond who worked together to make this amazing experience possible!

with Margot Bordelon, Lauren Dubowski, Elia Monte-Brown, Justin Taylor, and Dan O’Brien. Photos by Fay Simpson.

There are a number of photos here from the Parapanda/Gothenburg City Theater production in Sweden.

PARAPANDA THEATRE LAB

I came across this interesting organization working in Africa, and particularly East Africa.

CRIC Africa.com The center focusses on developing new ideas and innovative programs towards avant-garde options in resolving issues, questions and dilemmas facing the African society.

Dully Sykes - BongoFleva

On July 18, the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam welcomed students from Yale University and an official from the Parapanda Theatre Lab Trust of Dar es Salaam. Led by Mr. Mgunga Mwa Mnyenyelwa and affiliated with his Baba Watoto Centers, Parapanda's most recent initiative involves a month-long interactive workshop entitled "Catalysts for Social Progress: The Quest for Social Justice through Music, Theater, and Religion." The workshop is a collaboration with the Yale School of Drama, Yale Divinity School, and The Institute of Sacred Music. Mr. Mwa Mnyenyelwa was accompanied by eight students and three faculty members from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The instructors were Prof. Fay Simpson and Prof. Gamal Palmer of the Yale School of Drama, and Prof. Dawn Mays-Hardy of Yale Divinity School.

See story: http://tanzania.usembassy.gov/ph_07252011.html

Parapanda Theatre Lab
http://www.parapandatheatre.blogspot.com/

U.S. Embassy Information Resource Center
http://tanzania.usembassy.gov/irc.html

We returned to New York early this morning, after a week in Zanzibar. We attended several workshops on Taarab music and traditional dance. Look for more photos over the next few days.