adminperforming groups are expected to take part in the festival, which will see the best performers walking away with a variety of prizes.
Organised by Community Arts Projects, the festival to be held on November 26, seeks to create a platform for children to express themselves and also build their confidence.
“The festival is aimed at providing psychosocial support and also use theatre and poetry as a tool of information dissemination,” said Community Arts Project director Fortune Rego.
Now in its fourth edition, this year’s festival will focus on three themes: “Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM),” “My Birth Certificate, My Right” and “Inheritance and Child Rights”.
“The children have been given an opportunity to look at these issues, create plays and poems around these thematic areas and articulate everything that affects their lives while at the same time lobbying and advocating for best practices and better laws or solutions on issues raised.
“On the issue of BEAM, there has been a lot of corruption going on in the process and we want children to tell their stories about this issue because there are some who are not benefiting from initiative.
“Then the issue of birth certificates has been a perennial problem affecting many families with many children failing to have access to birth certificates, as is the case with inheritance issues that are also affecting some children and this festival is one platform of looking at these issues,” Rego said.
Funded by Terre Des Hommes, a Germany organisation dealing with child protection, the festival started in 2006 under the name “Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Through Theatre”.
Registrar-General Mr Tobaiwa Mudede, director of the Zimbabwe Culture Fund Farai Mupfunya, director of the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, Elvas Mari as well as officials from the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture are expected to grace the festival.
Online Reporter