OYO new play on its way !

Writers of the new play with OYO deputy director Evalina Ashipala Five talented young people, Lydia Kandiwapa Ndhikwa, Elmarie Sara Kapunda, Norman Kapunda, Dennis !Kharuchab and Riaan Afrikaner met at Greiter conference centre from 21 to 25 June 2010 to prepare scripts for the new OYO play. Guided by OYO’s director, Philippe Talavera and with support from OYO’s deputy director, Evelina Ashipala, the five writers embarked on a challenging journey. Using various techniques, drawing from personal experiences and information gathered prior to the workshop, the writers prepared two plays: The story of Kandi addresses two main issues: forced marriages (still happening in some cultures in Namibia, especially in the Kavango region) and modern polygamy (Kandi’s sister, Lucy, must decide whether or not to go out with David, knowing he is with Sharon); The story of Sylvia addresses three main issues: domestic violence and its impact on children, peer pressure (Sylvia likes Tony but must decide whether or not to bring their relationship to the next level) and illegal abortion. Each one of the stories has two ending, depending whether the protagonist took the right decision or not (interestingly, a decision taken by one protagonist also influences the lives of the others showing that we are vulnerable, as young people, and not always in charge of our destinies, since we don’t live in isolation). The scripts will now go through a series of peer review. OYO is expecting to start with rehearsals in August, in order to present the plays in schools in the Kavango and Ohangwena regions in September and record the plays in October. OYO is very excited by this project. This project is done in collaboration with the Legal Assistance Centre, Gender Research and Advocacy Project.