Drama Boreale - Åbo Akademi

In the Marangu region, which basically consists of Chagga tribe inhabitants, specific
tribe art and cultural practice is slowly dying. I have in 2007 the experience visiting a
history class at Marangu Teachers’ College Secondary School where a thirteen year-old
student gave reasons for why Chagga art and cultural practice was no longer performed
or appreciated among youth in Marangu. The reasons given were:
• Maybe the death of performers, nobody performs anymore.
• Foreign culture, changes according to time.
• Lack of interest in traditional dance and music.
In the rural districts of Tanzania, the absence of art education both seen in terms of
restoring cultural tradition and sustaining cultural heritage in a “glocalized” sense was
threatened and disappearing. The teacher in the same class I visited asked the students on
my behalf if anyone was engaged in music activities outside the school. The reply was, -
no, because they did not have modern western instruments. Referring to Julius Nyerere’s
reflections on the impact of colonial art making, that the Tanzanians believe that their art
is worthless and shameful – could then this reaction from a student be an aspect of
cultural shame? Yusef Q. Lawi in his article “Between the “Global” & “Local” Families”
sees this is a result of ”(..) the basis and site for the production of and articulation of
historical knowledge have since colonization shifted from the “local” to the “universal”
context”(Lawi in Maddox, Gibben ,2005: 299).
Focus of the project Community based Arts
Why is this a relevant project? As a result while looking upon the development of and
the lack of distribution of drama/theatre to many rural districts in Tanzania, there is little
or no tradition for students in Marangu to draw upon, apart from educational agitprop
dramas warning against AIDS, for example, and television soap operas. In this respect, a
project in “Community based Arts”- regaining and modernizing Cultural heritage.
Educating and professionalizing the Community Artist”, potentially can be very
beneficial, in opening up an avenue for dramatic expression where almost none existed,
and offering the tools for actors to go beyond certain stiff conventions.
More than ever before, the arts are shaping and influencing our daily lives through the
media and the creative industries. The arts are no longer confined to museums and
theatres, but are adding value to our national economies and improving the quality of
education. This has implications for arts education. However, unlike other subjects
taught at schools, the arts have rarely made their purpose clear: Why are they taught?
What is good arts education? And what are the benefits of teaching creative subjects or
using creative ways to teach?
In 2004 Professor Anne Bamford conducted the first international analysis of arts
education research for UNESCO 6 , in partnership with IFACCA 7 and the Australia
Council. In her book, The Wow Factor Global research compendium on the impact of the
arts in education, she compares data and case studies from more than sixty countries, the
book analyses the differences between 'education in the arts' and 'education through the
arts'. While appreciating that arts programmes are embedded in their unique social and
cultural contexts, Professor Bamford develops internationally comparable standards for
quality arts education. In addition, she identifies a number of concrete educational,
cultural, and social benefits of arts education (Bamford, 2006).What can two
Norwegians, a Drama teacher and a Music teacher, with no previous experience of
6 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
7 International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies
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