Recently, the Youth Leadership for Peace (YLP) [7] Theater Troupe brought national attention to youth-led peacebuilding efforts in Kyrgyzstan with a forum theater performance in Bishkek. Performing for an audience of youth and adults at the annual Jashtar Camp [8] youth conference, the Theater Troupe created dialogue around issues of rural unemployment and youth alcohol abuse while also showcasing the leadership role that youth are playing in conflict prevention.
Theater Troupe member Dilshat Akhmetzhanov said, “I feel honored t
o be selected from my school community for the YLP program. I understand the significance of my contribution to the program in showing the existing problems of Kyrgyzstan and bringing them to the society’s attention for collective problem solving.”
The performance told the story of a teenage girl from a rural village attempting to transition to life in a large city after her unemployed mother moves to Bishkek in search of a job. The girl does not cope well with new influences and becomes pregnant while abusing alcohol with friends, which leads to a conflict between the girl and her cousin over the pregnancy.
Audience members had the opportunity to ‘intervene’ to try to prevent the play’s central conflict. After audience interventions the Joker, or facilitator, led a discussion of ways to prevent conflicts depicted in the performance at the family, community, and national levels.
Nazira Satyvaldiyeva, Youth Expert for the UNDP Democratic Governance Program, commented on the ability of Theater Troupe performers to create dialogue around sensitive issues, “Youth were able, without adults, to reflect the problems of young people and the problems of society as a whole. This allowed the audience to look at existing problems from the outside, and actively participate in discussion to find solutions.”
Audience members recommended more active parenting as a possible family level solution and also discussed employing more psychologists at schools to improve support for youth at the community level. When discussing interventions at the national level, audience members recommended better enforcement of laws forbidding the sale of cigarettes and alcohol to youth, the creation of additional opportunities for youth to engage in sports, arts, and volunteerism and advocacy for better employment opportunities in rural areas.
Aijamal Nurmamat kyzy, a student at American University of Central Asia in Bishkek and audience member at the performance, also commented positively on the dialogue and learning that took place during the performance, “It was interesting to see the existing problems of youth in a play and to address them all together. We listened and learned from others in dealing with problems.”
The Youth Leadership for Peace Theater Troupe is funded by the United States Institute of Peace [9]. Actors in the Theater Troupe were initially trained in Drama for Conflict Transformation (DCT) methodology through the Youth Theater for Peace [7] program funded by USAID [10].