The pandemic has emphasised that in times of crisis, it is easy for the voices of the marginalised to be lost. The pandemic, with its lockdowns and unrest, has seen escalations in violence against women and girls, as well as violence against other ethnic and gender minorities.
Power of Play is an organisation that has held empowering women and girls close to its hearts since its inception 10 years ago. Founded in 2011, Power of Play harnesses the highly adaptable nature of theatre and performance to tell stories and create experiences with universal appeal and cultural diversity in a way that breaks down barriers and brings different communities together.
Performance art is never really given much thought as a medium of communication, and this is something Power of Play as an organisation strives to correct.
The Morning Brunch spoke to Power of Play Founder and Artistic Director Sulochana Dissanayake to learn more about how they have been empowering women and girls against the backdrop of the pandemic, as well as for some insights into what they’ve got planned to celebrate 10 years of Power of Play.
Empowerment is a two-way street
Having travelled extensively across Sri Lanka over the past decade, with Power of Play and working at the grassroots level in locations in all provinces, Dissanayake noted that women are already empowered, recalling how she has met female heads of households in areas like Puttalam, Jaffna, Galle, and many more places in Sri Lanka who prove this. She also noted big changes in the way girls are now being raised, and the messages being conveyed to girls in childhood, with many girls today across the island being groomed for corporate positions and breaking the glass ceiling at a young age.
However, Dissanayake shared that as much as we now empower young girls, we do not equally empower young boys who are still raised with the traditional masculine messages of being strong to the point they are often shamed when showing emotions, resulting in their emotional growth often being stunted.
“What happens is we only approve anger and violence as emotional expressions for boys and they grow up into males who perpetuate the cycle of violence. So no matter how much we empower girls, we will always face violence against women if we don’t work on boys too,” Dissanayake said.
Empowerment amidst and following the pandemic
With the pandemic demanding an entire shift of how most people approached their work, Dissanayake shared that 98% of Power of Play’s work went online, focusing on emotional resilience and compassion, skills Power of Play deemed essential for making it through the pandemic. Through online workshops for kids and adults, Power of Play used puppets, role play, and drama to instil these values and still drive conversations on gender equality. These programmes had a huge impact on audiences, both at the corporate and the individual levels, giving adults and kids valuable tools to survive challenges.
Post the pandemic, Dissanayake has lots of plans for Power of Play – from celebrating its 10th year of operation to working with men and boys to foster the foundations required for gender equality.
“We’re looking to reach out to fathers and male youth on social media to open up dialogue on the pressures they’re facing. We’re talking empowerment for women, but not removing any traditional pressures from men,” Dissanayake said.
Dissanayake also explained that Power of Play is looking forward to getting back to physical programming as soon as possible. While their online programmes have been very successful, physical programming allows Power of Play to reach mass audiences.
“Online reach is still very minimal, and has lots of economic and class barriers where if you can’t access online learning, you’re left out completely. This is not ideal for this kind of messaging where everyone should be reached,” Dissanayake added.
10 years of empowerment through theatre
With Power of Play celebrating their 10th anniversary this year, Dissanayake shared that there are several programmes planned to make this milestone.
“We are partnering with Giz to release a series of videos on gender, communal responsibilities during and after a pandemic, fake news and being conscious of the information we spread. We’re launching this on International Women’s Day with Giz. In addition, we’re also working on programming to reach mass audiences on the issues of sexual bribery and gender sensitisation,” Dissanayake said.
In celebration of their anniversary, Power of Play will also be reaching out to puppeteers globally to explore the uses and methods of puppetry and how they differ across the world. Moreover, Power of Play will be shining a spotlight on their local puppets, interviewing them on the last 10 years of social media.
Kicking off 2021, Power of Play has started a physical engagement with the Merrill J. Fernando (MJF) Charitable Foundation in Moratuwa. Every Friday from 10.30 a.m. to 11 a.m., Power of Play will be conducting a live storytelling and puppetry workshop from the MJF Charitable Foundation. The programme, which is completely free and can be watched via the MJF Charitable Foundation, is bilingual (Sinhala and English) and is aimed at children still being homeschooled.