Strengthening Arts as an Action to Stand up for Women´s Rights in Nicaragua

Many of the situations that arose during the dialogue with communities and theatre audiences surpassed the capacity for support and advice that could be offered by the theatre groups, female counsellors and/or advocacy groups involved int he project. Being able to call on the support of specialized professionals – lawyers, therapists, social workers – working in the field of domestic violence and sexual abuse of children is one aspect that needs to be strengthened.

The geographic scope of the project was a little ambitious given the qualitative changes that were being pursued and the desire to consolidate and capitalize on the results. Focusing activities in a more limited geographical space would have made it easier to go into more depth and to sustain the results.

The project empowered women who had become victims of violence, and encouraged them to participate in the production and performance of theatre plays based on a critical analysis of their own experiences, stories and testimonies. The integration of positive messages and models of masculinity into the theatre performances provided a way to strengthen the building of relationships based on respect and equity.

The young people involved have repeated the performances in their schools and communities. The response by the audience was highly positive and the use of debates and forums fostered public participation and led to greater awareness of and respect for the status of women in Nicaraguan society.

Art and theatre can be innovative tools for mobilizing popular opinion and can contribute to a change in attitudes. Using art and theatre has also strengthened the capacity and visibility of the grantee in particular its ability to organize. Theatre productions and performances empowered the participants – not just in terms of artistic skills – but also enhanced their knowledge of their rights and confidence to claim them. The theatre groups used this opportunity to strengthen their relationship with civil society actors and local government entities.

The grantee put in place effective instruments to follow up on the achievements of the project so that they could verify that the skills and knowledge about women’s rights and the implementation of the law on violence against women were being put into practice.