Creating a space for the individual: Different theatre and performance-based approaches to sexual health communication in South Africa
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While arts-based work in health promotion is not a new approach in South Africa, there is a chance to bring more attention to theatre and performance-based work, which considers the people and communities affected and afflicted by sexual and reproductive health (SRH) concerns as individuals with individual thoughts and emotions, for greater inclusion in tackling AIDS.
This 2010 article by Katharine Low examines three examples of theatre and performance-based work in South Africa: the Themba HIV/AIDS Organisation, the Etafeni Centre and the ‘our place, our stage’ (OPOS) project. Set against a background of using theatre-based approaches for sexual education in Africa, the examples will be considered in terms of the performance forms employed and the focus on the individual by the organisation.
