New Abirim (E/R), Aug. 28, GNA - A 40-member theatre troupe to promote community dialogue and action for sustainable development has been inaugurated at New Abirim in the Abirim North District. The members of the troupe, known as Akyem Perfect Stars, have been trained to build and manipulate puppets to educate the youth in the community as well as help train them to acquire skills. The Centre for Development and Inter Cultural Communication (CEDIC), a non-governmental organization (NGO), undertook the six-month training of the youth from communities in the district. Newmont Akyem, a gold mining company, Stratcomm Africa, a communication consultancy and the Business Advisory Centre (BAC) sponsored the training.
The Programme Co-ordinator of CEDIC, Mr Philip Soale, said CEDIC believed that development information and knowledge becomes more useful when shared with different groups of people in a culturally sensitive manner.
He said the objective of the training was to support community based youth theatre groups to become credible agents of social change by employing drama, puppetry and other forms of participatory communication.
The Social Investment Manager of Newmont Akyem, Mr Kwesi Boateng, said Newmont realized that theatre was a powerful tool which, when used, was easier to absolve, create fun, interesting and less sensitive to both senders and recipients of information.
The District Chief executive, Mr Emmanuel Nana Acquah-Frimpong, said the theatre troupe would enhance information dissemination, community mobilization and education as well as entertainment for communities and institutions in the district.
He urged the troupe to come out with drama on social development such as teenage pregnancy, adolescent sexual reproductive health and HIV/AIDS.
The Queen mother of the Akyem Kotoku Traditional area, Nana Akua Asantewaah III, advised the people and organizations in the area to support the troupe for them to educate children on some of the immoral activities to enhance the future development of the district.
