SISTREN THEATRE
COLLECTIVE
Report on Sistren, Jamaica by Helen Drusine
Sistren Theatre Collective (Sistren) began in 1977 as an Independent Cultural organization of working class women who employed popular theatre techniques in their exploration and analysis of the social, political and legal condition and status of Jamaican women. Focussing particularly on poor black women, Sistren uses personal testimonies as a critique of a system, which discriminated against women on the basis of gender, class and colour.
Since
its inception, Sistren has had some success in confronting Jamaican society
on issues of, for example, domestic violence, sexual violence, poverty,
and teenage pregnancy, and encouraging drama-in-education techniquesand
other participatory methodologies for the development of grassroots cultural
expression. Today, Sistren Theatre Collective operates a multi-faceted
popular education programme that aims at analyzing the situation of women
in Jamaica, increasing the awareness of gender issues, building regional
networks, encouraging grassroots cultural expressions, and equipping other
grassroots agencies to effectively campaign for social change.
Currently Sisten is focused upon a three year Organisational Capacity-Building for Gender Justice Project which emphasizes: networking and capacity-building among associated NGOs and CBOs, direct gender justice programming, and research and information-sharing.
Contact:
Sistren Theatre Collective
Lana Finikin
20 Kensington Crescent
Kingston 5, Jamaica
Telephone: 876-929-2457 or 59. fax 876-968-0501
sistrenf@n5.com.jm