are you
interested in discussing issues and experiences of cross-cultural drama?
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Should
drama be a
part of missions?
Yes! In many cultures around
the world, the most important information is transmitted
orally. They
do not learn by reading but by hearing in forms like storytelling,
participatory drama, music and dance.
Should
you
bring
drama on a missions trip?
It
depends. If you are intending to perform your own dramas in a
different cultural setting, you may not get the results you
want.
Actually, you probably will not get the reactions you want.
Missions is
Communication
…and
the best way to communicate is through means that reach the
heart in
ways like drama, music and art. The key, however, is to
communicate in
an artistic means that is known to the people with whom we are
communicating.
Do
I take my
own
dramas overseas?
I would be
very careful about this. Many of the elements in drama mean
different
things in other cultures. For example, mime teams who perform
in
Mexico in black and white face could be perceived representing the day
of the dead to
a Mexican audience. If you are telling the story of the
prodigal son
in America you might show the father welcoming the son back with open
arms, but if you did that in many places in Africa the open arms of the
father would be showing him coming in anger to crush his son.
You must
be very
careful to understand the messages your dramas are communicating in
other cultures and contexts. Also, the issues other peoples
are
struggling with are different. For more detailed discussion
of this
click here: “Is Mime the Universal language?”
Here
are some other questions of interest that are addressed in A Guide to Ethnodramatology
How
can short-term missions and drama be best used?
How
can storytelling be used in missions?
Where
do we get resources for using drama overseas?
What
are the best methods for developing local actors and dramatists
different cultures around the world?
These
questions merely scratch the surface on this subject. Are you
interested in further dialog in this area?
Recently we started a blog on this subject called Ethnodrama Blog
We
are making contacts with those who are interested in cross-cultural
drama and the many interesting problems it brings up. If you
are
interested in having a dialogue about drama and missions or any subject
related to cross-cultural drama go to the Ethnodrama Blog. |
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