Bond Street Theatre is extending its Voter Education & Fraud Mitigation project in Afghanistan to promote participation in the presidential run-off election taking place on June 14th. The project's sponsor, the United States Institute of Peace, requested the program's continuation in recognition of mobile theatre's wide reach and personal impact. The performances clarify the purpose and value of a follow-up election as an essential part of a democratic political process.
Six Afghan theatre troupes - including three all-women's groups - will present their informative plays in public parks, community centers, women's centers, and schools in Kandahar, Nangarhar and Kunduz provinces, and at other venues where people regularly congregate to reach the widest selection of the population. The troupes especially focus on reaching women, youth, and communities that have little access to electronic media. In many cases, the mobile theatre shows provide their only source of information on the elections. "These types of programs are important for the society and should be extended to far away districts and villages, because I have met people from far away areas who don't have any awareness about elections and even don't know what elections are," said Hamid Zai Lalai, a Parliamentarian in Nangarhar.Mobile Theatre's Broad AppealThe Voter Education & Fraud Mitigation Project is funded by the United States Institute for Peace, an organization promoting peace education, conflict resolution, and advancement of state stability and law in Afghanistan since 2002.
Bond Street Theatre has been working for social improvement in Afghanistan since 2002 through programs that build the capacity of local organizations and promote creative thinking and problem-solving, focusing specifically upon women and youth. The Voter Education & Fraud Mitigation Project builds on their Theatre for Social Development program, which prepares local theatre groups to use their skills for public education.
Bond Street Theatre, founded in 1978, initiates theatre-based projects for education, conflict resolution, and healing in areas of conflict and poverty globally. The company collaborates with local artists to enjoy the benefits of artistic exchange and promotes the value of the arts in shaping a peaceful future. Recipient of a MacArthur Award, the company has also received support from the Trust for Mutual Understanding, ArtsLink, Theatre Communications Group, Mellon Foundation, Ford Foundation, Association for Performing Arts Presenters, Asian Cultural Council, National Endowment for the Arts, US Institute for Peace, US Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs, US Embassies, and others.
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