Wan Smolbag Theatre

The group's primary strategy is using face-to-face contact - in the form of participatory theatre - to educate and mobilise people in even the most remote villages. "Wan Smolbag" means "one small bag" in Bislama, the language of Vanuatu; the idea is that the traveling troupe relies on simple props and tools to foster communication about various issues. The mainstay of the group's work are short, 20- to 50-minute theatre pieces on environmental, health, reproductive health, and population issues. Specific theatre projects are described on the Wan Smolbag site. Examples have included environmental plays in which villagers themselves become creatures of the reef or trees in the forest; this strategy was designed to engage people fully in the issues. In another project (1997-1998), Blacksands community members served as actors. Six months of workshops prepared the citizens (aged 10 to 60 years old) for performance; strategies included games and role plays, storytelling, and creation of musical instruments from items such as old tyres and bamboo. Wan Smolbag's scriptwriter turned this process into a 2-hour play that was performed in a 2-month run.

In addition to live theatre and participatory drama workshops, Wan Smolbag Theatre reaches out to wider audiences through its work in radio and video (and associated training activities). "Famili Blong Serah" was an example of a radio soap opera series that dealt with reproductive health and other issues. The 25 videos and radio tapes that Wan Smolbag produces and sells are the basis for some of its additional training activities. Groups of teachers, for example, receive guidance in how to use the materials in the classroom (materials are accompanied by a user's guide).

As part of its focus on environmental issues, Wan Smolbag's plays stimulated the development of Vanua-tai (Species) Monitors. These volunteers watch for nesting turtles and advise people on turtle conservation and other environmental issues.

Young people are a special focus of Wan Smolbag's work. For one thing, the organisation makes an effort to employ young actors as part of a desire to create economic advancement opportunities for young islanders. Smolbag Kids is a group of young people that work with Wan Smolbag. The core group of 6 children, who appear in plays and videos (such as those focussed on dental hygiene), was formed after a series of 1995 workshops for children who were not at school. Furthermore, Wan Smolbag created "Kam Pussem Hed", a youth drop-in centre/reproductive and sexual health clinic. After performing reproductive health plays for years, the group asked, "what if people have all the knowledge, they've overcome the shame, but the local clinic is under orders from a chief not to give contraception to single people? Or the nearest supply is a long way away?".

Economic Development, Reproductive Health, Population, Environment, Political Participation, Youth.

Emphasis is placed on community theatre and a tradition of oral cultures that embrace storytelling, song, and music. Wan Smolbag also supports research to assess the effectiveness of drama in achieving positive changes in society.