Theatre for Justice

We work extensively with formal and informal legal structures, as well as people in contact with legal or penal institutions or in need of help exercising their rights, to improve Access to Justice in specific contexts and protect human rights.

 What do people do when something goes wrong? How is ‘crime’ understood and handled in communities who lack access to legal services? How do people handle serious disputes in the absence of a neutral arbitrator? We all need a basic understanding of the laws designed to protect us, and a knowledge of justice principles that enable us to claim our rights – especially to equality and fairness.

 Building legal knowledge amongst populations is fundamental to improving access to justice.  Communication is often overlooked or tacked on in development programming – Arts for Action, and our partner The Governance and Justice Group, believe that quality communication, education and empowerment are integral to improving rule of law.  Access to Justice programming that does not invest in communication and outreach will fail to affect change amongst the people it wishes to reach.

 We work with communities to identify barriers to accessing legal rights in their specific contexts, and together craft communication and empowerment strategies to address these. We also work to bridge gaps between decision makers, services providers and the communities they serve using interactive theatre to bring together – often for the first time – these different perspectives.

 Examples of theatre for justice programmes

“The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., A Testament of Hope