- The Elephantea RARE Touring Theatre
That the plight of elephants in our island nation is complicated, to say the least, is well-known. We see a staggeringly high number of both elephant and human deaths because of human-elephant conflict each year. In 2021, the Department of Wildlife Conservation estimated that 369 elephant lives and 141 human lives had been lost to human-elephant conflict.
With elephants being an endangered species with a population of 2,500-4,000 elephants locally as estimated by the World Wildlife Fund (local authorities estimate elephant populations to be higher), there is a very urgent need for the conservation of these magnificent creatures that have come to act as one of Sri Lanka’s symbols on the world stage.
Animal welfare activists have long been actively and tirelessly campaigning for mindful, effective conservation efforts and reexamining the cultural and aesthetic roles captive elephants play within our society, with a view to providing a peaceful, cruelty-free environment for the Sri Lankan elephant to thrive.
This April saw a new form of animal rights activism and wildlife conservation take root in the form of the Elephantea RARE Touring Theatre, an upcoming elephant conservation spearheaded by Rally for Animal Rights and Environment (RARE) Sri Lanka. The initiative is sponsored by socially-responsible tea company Elephantea.
The Elephantea RARE Touring Theatre
Speaking to RARE Sri Lanka Founder and Communication Co-ordinator Panchali Panapitiya, Brunch learnt that the primary objective of the Touring Theatre project was to build awareness among Sri Lankans around the human-elephant conflict and cruelty in the captive elephant industry and thereby bring about an attitude and mindset shift in humans to make a lasting change in the lives of elephants in Sri Lanka.
Noting that the Touring Theatre would shine a light on the often neglected parts of the persistent human-elephant conflict and also the suffering experienced by elephants in captivity, Panapitiya shared that she hoped the Touring Theatre would persuade people that solutions to these problems need to come from within themselves, noting: “Conservation will only be successful when all Sri Lankan citizens are aware and are conscious stakeholders of it.”
The Touring Theatre is sponsored by Elephantea; a socially-responsible tea company that offers an exclusive range of premium organic artisan teas, including a popular range of sparkling teas for a global market. Elephantea is a Ceylon Tea brand established by Florida-based Sri Lankan entrepreneurs and advocates for elephant conservation Ron Atapattu and his daughter Shani. Since its inception, Elephantea has been committed to supporting and growing conservation efforts to benefit Sri Lanka’s elephant populations.
The Touring Theatre takes shape in the form of a street drama directed by award-winning theatre director Asanka Gurusinghe and performed by his troupe with technical assistance from event coordinators Rajaputhra Media.
Activism through theatre
Panapitiya said that RARE’s key goal was achieving widespread awareness of the matter and that the Touring Theatre uses live theatre as a medium to deliver this message in a palatable and accessible way. Through the immersive and interactive medium of theatre, the Touring Theatre hopes to not only create this much-needed awareness among all Sri Lankans but also to develop and leave a lasting impression in people’s minds and bring about a change in attitudes and a compassionate society that will conserve elephants and protect their rights.
The Touring Theatre also marks a moment of significance for RARE as an organisation. Noting that while RARE was a leading animal rights organisation in Sri Lanka famous globally for advocacy for elephants, Panapitiya shared: “It [the Touring Theatre] is going to be our biggest conservation awareness project since we established RARE as an advocacy group in 2019.”
Panapitiya also shared that she herself had been involved in theatre from a young age, having been a member of the Musaeus College drama troupe during her school days. Drawing from her own personal experiences in theatre, Panapitiya is confident in the power of theatre to communicate a cause to the public and draw light to the need for social change.
Time and time again, live theatre has proven to be an effective tool of communication, with communication most often being defined as ‘the exchange of meanings between individuals through a common system of symbols’. Numerous studies have confirmed that drama and performance can be two of the most effective mediums of communication, with the interlinking of the two being able to connect with people’s hearts and provoke critical thinking.
One of the most notable examples of communicating policy to effect social change via live theatre, notably street drama, can be seen in post-apartheid South Africa, where the new Government led by the African National Congress (ANC) utilised the use of their evolving theatre to convey the messages of rule of law and constitution.
What to expect at the Elephantea RARE Touring Theatre
Panapitiya shared that their dramas would feature scenes from the past, present, and future presented in an impactful, entertaining, and emotional way, such that it would create a lasting impression on its audience. The performances use music and songs to strengthen its underlying message further.
“We will be conducting street dramas for the public in all corners of the country including bus stands, parks, and workplaces,” Panapitiya explained, “we will also even reach out to political parties and politicians as we want to educate them and make them conscious of these very pressing issues.”
Panapitiya further revealed that the Touring Theatre would also focus strongly on reaching children and schools. “We feel Sri Lanka will change for elephants when the younger generations want to make a change,” she said, adding, “therefore we will be planting seeds in the minds of children as a future investment.”
The Touring Theatre’s very first performance was held in Rajagiriya in January 2022 during RARE Sri Lanka’s annual vigil for elephants. However, despite having launched early in the year, they have had to postpone the islandwide programme owing to the prevailing situation in the country, which is why the programme has only officially launched in April.
With the situation in the country remaining uncertain, there are no further confirmed dates for the Touring Theatre to perform just yet, although Panapitiya noted that their first street show was to take place in the Fort and Pettah areas, with the Colombo District being covered in its first leg with three shows a day, once a week.
Performances will be published across RARE’s social media channels, and Panapitiya explained that RARE would be notifying audiences through their social media on the upcoming schedules and updates, and they would also be sure to upload videos following performances as well.
In efforts to amplify the impact and reach of this awareness campaign, Panapitiya also said that RARE welcomed the opportunity to arrange special shows for corporate entities, companies, schools, and other establishments who wished to feature the Touring Theatre, provided that the audiences were of a considerable size.
Speaking on the future of the Touring Theatre beyond this present campaign, Panapitiya said that this was only the first stage of a larger awareness drive. For its second stage, RARE hopes to conduct drama workshops for children in areas stricken by the human-elephant conflict in order to better help them understand their interactions with elephants.
To stay up-to-date on the Elephantea RARE Touring Theatre, please follow RARE Sri Lanka’s social media channels:
Facebook: RARESriLanka
Instagram: @rare_srilanka
For inquiries on special productions, please email rareforanimals@gmail.com
