Post-Tsunami Rehabilitation Programme Using Traditional Performing Arts

and Musical Expressions in the South and South-East Asian Sub-Region

Office of the UNESCO Regional Advisor for Culture in Asia and the Pacific

September 2005 - June 2006

Table of Contents

1. Project Summary

2. Article UNESCO Bangkok Newsletter

3. Country Report India (22 pgs)

4. Country Report Indonesia (20 pgs)

5. Country Report Thailand (9 pgs)

6. Contact Details

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Revive community spiritStrengthen cultural traditionsDemonstrate effectiveness of using traditional performance arts in post-disaster situations

Objectives:

Traditional Indian DanceSumatran Pencak Silat, Indonesia Big screen shadow puppets, Southern Thailand

Support the rehabilitation of tsunami-affected communities by drawing on their cultural resources such as performing arts and musical expressions

PA provide a culturally appropriate approach to stress management and therefore represent an immediate form of “socio-cultural rebuilding” in post-disaster situations

PA form an integral part of cultural identity and help shattered communities to reconnect to their traditionalcultural values

PA create a context for co-operative thinking and action in disrupted and displaced communities

PA encompass various artistic expressions to cross linguistic and cultural barriers and reinforce community solidarity

PA have traditionally been used as an educational tool to pass down essential knowledge (in particular with regard to natural calamities) and skills from one generation to the next

Background

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Banda Aceh, Indonesia, 13 Jan 2005

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake (magnitude: 9.15) triggered a series of tsunamis on 26 December 2004 that killed approximately 230,000 people.

… providing water, food and medicine

Banda Aceh, Indonesia

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… rebuilding infrastructure

Banda Aceh, Indonesia

‘If we want to restore the tsunami-hit communities, we should think how to restore their lives as a whole.’

More than money is needed

Nidhi Eowseewong, scholar, Bangkok Post, 16 May 2005

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… rebuilding the ‘human infrastructure’ of the society

Scale of the Project

8 communities in India, Indonesia and Thailand

AurovilleCuddaloreNagapattinamPondicherry

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Nias

Kuraburi

Baan Nai Lai

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Partners

Patravadi TheatreSikkha Asia FoundationThai Ministry of CultureAsia-Pacific Performing Arts Network (APPAN)

Funding: City of Hiroshima, Japan City of Hiroshima

Project Outline & Timeframe

Phase 1: Assessment MissionsSeptember/October 2005

Coordinators from UNESCO and the Asia-Pacific Performing Arts Network (APPAN) conduct assessment missions to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Auroville, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Pondicherry (India), Nias (Indonesia) and South Thailand to

establish contact with district administration and seek the cooperation of local schools

identify school teachers, civic activists and community leaders to promote and become involved in the project

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Project Outline & Timeframe

Phase 2: Delivery of Workshops and PerformancesNovember 2005 - June 2006

Participatory development of art performances that are based on existing local art forms and deal with issues relevant to the communities

Participants gain methodological knowledge about the use of art forms in community life

Final performance is shared and discussed with the whole community in the form of a social event

ThailandWat Samaki-dham, KuraburiBaan Nai Lai, Phang Nga

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Wat Samaki-dham

Baan Nai Lai

Traditional Thai dance class of Sikkha Asia Foundation (SAF)

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SAF traditional dance group performing in costume

IndonesiaNiasGurung Sitoli

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Sangeeta Isvaran, Facilitator

One must work in harmony with different ways of being and self-perception. “ ”

IndiaAndaman and Nicobar IslandsAurovilleCuddaloreNagapattinamPondicherry

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Dancing with Nature Workshop with NicobariTribe members on Little Andaman Island, India

AurovilleCuddalore District

TsunamikaThe story of a girl who was born on the day the tsunami washed her village away

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Auroville Cuddalore District

Findings

• While water, food and medicine had been provided in most communities after the tsunami, psychosocial support has been widely neglected.

• Children turned out to be the most responsive to the performing arts workshops.

• By selling the Tsunamikas that they produced during the workshop, the participants generated an income that helped them get back to normal after the disaster.

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Results Produced

Thailand

• 50 children (8-12 yrs) trained

• Audience of the final performance: 100 people

Indonesia

• 40 community members (7-70 yrs) trained

• Audience of the final performance: 80 people

India

• 83 community members (6-80 yrs) trained

• Audience of the final performances: 120 people

Achievements

Revived the community spirit in 8 communities in the South and South-East Asian Sub-Region

Workshop participant in Nias, Indonesia

Dancing together gives us an outlet for our emotions and makes us feel good and

optimistic about the future. It is also making our community stronger and more united

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Maina • Moyo • Drumming • Tribal Dances • Puppetry • Storytelling •Traditional Drama • Maina • Moyo •Drumming • Tribal Dances •Puppetry • Storytelling •Traditional Drama

Achievements

Strengthened cultural traditions of 8 local communities and helped them re-explore their cultural identity by using local traditional art forms

Achievements

Demonstrated the effectiveness of using traditional performance arts in post-disaster situations

Sangeeta Isvaran, Facilitator

Dancing is a vehicle to bring people together. Through the dance they can

speak out their experiences.

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Problems Encountered

• Lack of interest in traditional performing arts among community members

• Nonexistence of local artists to be involved in the project • Reluctance of possible participants to attend

the workshops without being paid for it• Lack of a formal gathering space to conduct

the workshops

Recommendations

• Project needs to start sooner after the disaster• In conflict areas, use facilitators from outside (not involved

with any of the conflicting parties) • More continuous support is needed• Integrate people with disabilities

One Year On: Rehabilitating Broken Lives Through Traditional Performing Arts By Patricia Alberth, Culture Unit The arts and music are universally recognized as outlets of human expression that enrich people’s lives, in terms of both the creativity and enjoyment realized through them. Recognizing this, UNESCO Bangkok’s Culture Unit is teaming up with the Asia-Pacific Performing Arts Network (APPAN), Thailand’s Ministry of Culture, Patravadi Theatre and the Sikkha Asia Foundation to provide workshops in traditional performing arts and musical expression to tsunami-affected communities in the South-East Asian sub-region. The project, which is funded by the City of Hiroshima in Japan, aims to support the socio-cultural rehabilitation of tsunami-distressed communities, promote safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage and demonstrate a new role for the performing arts in post-disaster situations. “Performing arts such as dance and puppetry have a long tradition in Asia, and constitute a core cultural resource in local communities,” explains Richard Engelhardt, UNESCO Regional Advisor for Culture in Asia and the Pacific. “Throughout the centuries and in various parts of the world, performing arts have been used to convey essential messages and skills from one generation to the next. It is time for us to recognize the strength of cultural traditions to help shattered communities reclaim their lives in post-disaster situations.” Drawing on cultural resources to overcome the events of the recent disaster is highly effective, as similar workshops in Aceh and Nias, Indonesia have already demonstrated. It strengthens the communities’ cultural identity and creates a context for co-operative thinking and action, which is very much needed in an environment of social disruption and displacement. At a refugee camp in Indonesia, an old woman who participated in a UNESCO workshop that focused on the traditional Indonesian dance forms Maina and Moyo says, “Dancing together gives us an outlet for our emotions and makes us feel good and optimistic about the future. It is also making our community stronger and more united.” Another community in Auroville, India has expanded the project from performing to also produce their own puppets. This initiative moves the focus away from merely the tragedy of the tsunami to the many creative efforts people have undertaken to find meaning for themselves in a changed world. By selling the puppets, the project has even started to generate income for the community. Next, project participants plan to compile a storytelling and puppetry kit to sell as a symbol of the human spirit’s strength in coping with disaster.

Puppetry workshop, Auroville, India (courtesy of APPAN)

UNESCO Post-Tsunami Rehabilitation Programme Using traditional Performing Arts and Musical Expressions in

the South and South-East Asian Sub-Region

Implementation Report India

by

Shanta Serbeet Singh Chairperson, Asia-Pacific Performing Arts Network (APPAN)

shanta.serbjeetsingh@gmail.com

BACKGROUND Since 1999, APPAN (The Asia-Pacific Performing Arts Network) has worked in the area of exploring the role of the arts, of music, dance, theatre, puppetry and other multi-disciplinary forms, in reducing stress and delivering a positive level of well-being and health, both to the audience and the practitioner. Responding to the initiative by the Regional Office of UNESCO, Bangkok, UNESCO Paris approved of a pilot project to test the above premise in the context of the December 26th, 2004 tsunami disaster in which over 2 million people died. APPAN was entrusted with the task of delivering post-tsunami stress therapy, initially in four Asian countries - India, Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka. Later this was cut down to two, India and Indonesia. APPAN’s first task became the process of identifying and locating artistes who would be appropriate for the task. This meant those cultural workers who have worked with the distressed and the under-privileged in some context or the other, those who have worked with APPAN’s several “Art Heals” projects in India and Korea and those who were moved enough by the plight of the tsunami victims to give p their normal work routines and take on this project. Since the project actually got under way only in the end of October, a good eight months after it was conceived, it was a long enough period to contact such committed art and cultural workers. On the other hand keeping the fold together and motivating them to stay with us over such a long period of waiting was a major problem. APPAN began with the knowledge that since the immediate shock of the tsunami disaster was past and material reconstruction well on its way, we needed to be prepared for devising new and long-term strategies towards our task - helping the emotional and stress-battered victims in ways that would empower them and give them new directions in coping with their situation. This was just as well because now we have a blueprint for addressing this very deep-seated problem anywhere in the world. Whether it is aimed at helping victims of natural disasters anywhere, such as a tsunami, an earthquake, floods or even man-made disasters such as terrorist attacks around the world, after the material rehabilitation must come the work to rebuild battered psyches, feebled by the shock and trauma of the event.

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By looking at this opportunity as a challenge and a learning opportunity for everyone including APPAN, specially in terms of finding strategies through the performing arts which minimize polarization, by using the creative approach and the performing arts to end divisiveness in communities created by religion and economic factors, we were richly rewarded by the unanimous conclusions arrived at by each of APPAN’s four teams of artists which went out to three locations in India and to Nias , Indonesia. Their verdict: that this was perhaps the best way to invoke the human spirit, to bond it and to challenge it to find within itself the courage and hope to deal with crisis. This was the one message that was common in the reports of each of our four teams given below. REPPORT BY SHUBHA PATWARDHAN AND MIRIAM THANGRAJ WHO VISITED AUROVILLE, PONDICHERRY AND CUDDALORE BEFORE THE MAIN TEAM LED BY ANURUPA ROY Our survey of the villages in and around Cuddalore district and Pondicherry showed that while the need for material rehabilitation was relatively low now, as a function of both the degree of the tsunami impact, and the passage of time, there was another kind of deprivation which needed to be addressed, mainly in the domain of the psyche and the emotional quotient of a life worth living. Way Forward We categorized the target into

1. those that are directly affected by the tsunami and may have experienced personal loss and/or undergone trauma

2. those who have not been directly affected by the tsunami, but have watched or heard of the disaster and have developed a sense of negativity and a sympathetic response of pain

Thus, the focus for emotional rehabilitation of both groups needs to be different. For Group 1, the key is vocalization of these emotions, and coping with them through expressing them creatively. For Group 2, the focus needs to be on re-association of the tsunami from a completely destructive force, to one that has resulted in a coming together of the world, and given rise to new initiatives.

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We used a 3-whelled approach for Group 1 that uses performing arts, specifically puppetry, as a medium of expression for the victims as well as the medium for the message of coping and re-building, using the story of Tsunamika. Part 1 Vocalizing emotional needs We let the target group write scripts for various personas of a puppet, each representing one strong emotion that results from experiencing any tragedy that affects a community on the scale of the tsunami. The personas would include anger, injustice, fear, uncertainty, hopelessness, melancholy. By giving these personas a voice, the target groups find a legitimate platform for expressing their own suppressed emotions, without feeling pressured to open up in front of a group, or to a new set of people. The script could be in terms of dialogue, or a song that is performed by the target group along with the puppeteer team. Part 2 Scripting a new life The Tsunamika doll can be distributed among the target group with the objective that they will, individually or in small groups of 4 or 5, script a life story of Tsunamika, a girl who is born on the day the Tsunami washes her village away. We actually met such a baby, a girl child, now being brought up in an orphanage outside Chennai, Balagurukalam. We believe that this exercise will encourage the target group to thinking forward towards the future, and also help them recognize the distance they have themselves traveled since that fateful day. Part 3 The Tsunamika Story The powerful story of the Tsunamika project is a story of how even in difficult times, there is a creative strength that helps man to press on ahead. It moves the focus away from merely the tragedy of the tsunami to the many creative initiatives communities have undertaken to find meaning for themselves in a changed world. The story lends itself to a puppetry performance and can be taken to many varied audiences as a message of hope and creative capacity of man. In fact, we suggest that Part 3 can be used as a stand-alone module targeting Group 2. Action Plan for Puppet Group Visit

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Puppet making

1. Working with the Upasana Design Team on designing Tsunamika Puppet

2. Involving local fisherwomen in making the puppets 3. Story-boarding for the Tsunamika Puppet

Pilot session of Tsunamika Puppet Show

1. Conducting a pilot session of the puppet show (Part 3) at Nadukuppam schools (One Govt. School, and Pvt. School “Nirvana”) where the children of the coastal community study

Action Plan for Phase II (Implementation in Jan 2006)

1. Identify the areas corresponding to Target Groups 1 and 2 (across India and parts of Asia). Target Groups could be best accessed through the local schools and educational institutions.

2. Draw up a schedule of schools to be visited, and use the local administration machinery to fix appointments with schools

3. Select a local puppet group and train the group to run the

workshop and deliver the puppet show REPORT OF THE FOUR MEMBER GROUP THAT WENT TO AUROVILLE AND PONDICHERRY; LEADER ANURUPA ROY; PARTICIPANTS: PURAN BHATT, SAMREEN FAROOQUI AND SHABANI HASANWALIA. ANURUPA WRITES: “The whole APPAN Tsunami project for my team started with a chance meeting on the internet with an activist group in Auroville that shared our desire to meet and work with lives which had been affected by the Tsunami wave that hit the southern coast of India along with Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Mrs Shanta Serbjeet Singh had first contacted Puran Bhat, Rajasthani Puppeteer and me, at the beginning of 2005. We had had a couple of preliminary meetings and exchange of ideas. We had discussed the formation of a group of artists who could work in the Tsunami affected areas of India namely, the Andaman Islands and the Southern coast of India. We had also discussed the possibility of such workshops in Sri Lanka and Indonesia. The project took almost 7 months to materialize, since the first meeting. Then suddenly I had a phone call from

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a friend, Samreen Farooqui, who is a film maker. She had been chatting online and had come across the Tsunamika website. The website talked of a project called “Tsunamika” which was being run by a group of fashion designers of an organization called Upasna, based in Auroville, Pondicherry. The project had started soon after the Tsunami waves hit the coast of Tamil Nadu in the South Eastern coastal region of India. People from the villages of Pondicherry district had run for shelter to Auroville. Upasna decided to start their own relief measures for these villagers. Most of the villages had lost their fishing boats and their livelihoods. Some lives had also been lost even though the loss was not as high as in Nagapattinam. Upasna decided to adopt 6 villages in the Pondicherry area and train the women folk to have certain other skills, which would generate income. As designers they naturally turned to handicrafts etc. They found that the fishing folk did not have or at present did not remember any of their traditional folk arts and crafts. Most of the men were fishermen and women either sold the fish in the market or were housewives. They did not know how to stitch or weave. So Upasna began the task of teaching them how to make dolls using residual material from their studio, like cloth, bits of wool, thread etc. The process of first learning to make dolls to actually mass manufacturing them took about six months. These dolls were then packed by Upasna and sent to all the supporters of the project who in turn distributed it further. The project has spread quite wide and the dolls are used as utility goods like bookmarks, pins, badges, hair clips etc. The dolls are never sold, only given as gifts. When this Tsunamika group found out about APPAN and puppetry in Delhi they were very excited to have us over at Auroville to do a workshop with the women in order to explore further possibilities with the dolls. Shubha Patvardhan and Miriam, the other APPAN group, reached Auroville a few days before us and did a survey. Their main conclusion was that this area had not been as badly affected by the Tsunami as others and most of the experiences of loss were linked mainly to loss of livelihood and property. We went to Auroville with this knowledge. Our preparation before the workshop was mainly planning some exercises with storytelling involving the sea, waves and the Tsunami. Also we intended to use the Tsunamika doll in our interaction. We also purchased raw materials for making puppets with the fishing women. Samreen Farooqui and Shabani Hasan Walia who had been setting up our contact with Upasna Designs and the Tsunamika Project were to accompany us as the documentation team of the project. THE WORKSHOP

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We reached Pondicherry on a very wet and rainy Sunday. On the next day we met the Upasna Design team at their studio. They gave us a presentation and showed us a short film, which had been made on the project. They also explained how the entire structure of the Tsunamika project worked. There were 6 villages in the project. The women of the villages would gather together once a week, They would be given supplies like needle and thread, strips of cloth etc. The women used the rags to make tiny dolls. All the dolls had the same face made of stuffed cloth and black hair made of cloth. The dolls are made in 3 sizes ranging from 1 and a half inches to 3 inches and are used as utility goods such as badges, bookmarks, cloth pins, hair pins etc. Each village had two women leaders who co-ordinated the process of making and delivering them to the studio. The most unique feature of the Tsunamika project is that the dolls are not sold but distributed as gifts. The Tsunamika dolls have now reached 35 countries across the globe. Volunteers have made websites, made donations and set up network links. The women were provided raw materials by Upasna and then paid for each doll that was made. The funding was provided by Concern India. The project was at a point where the women were each earning Rs 1000-1500 per month through the tsunamikas alone. Most importantly we found that this financial independence had led to tremendous change in the social dynamics in these five villages. We could only see the consequences of the Tsunamika project and unfortunately had very little idea of what had happened a year earlier to be able to compare situations. After our interaction with the Upasna team we went to the villages to meet the women. We went to Nadukuppam where our workshop was to be held. We met at the village temple courtyard. Our workshops would include 40-45 women from two villages, Nadukuppam and a neighboring village. Puran Bhatt and I performed a short demo with our own puppets and explained what we did. They seemed quite taken by the puppets. Very soon word had spread through the village and there was a sea of children who had arrived to see and inspect the puppets. We asked them about themselves. The preliminary meeting yielded the same results as Shubha (Patwardhan) had mentioned in her report. These were not people who had been affected directly in the sense of loss of lives. They had had property loss but most importantly they had had a complete loss of livelihood. Now that their boats etc were back they seemed quite unaffected by everything. But in the following days, through intensive interaction, we would discover that there was more than what met the eye in the first meeting. We also fixed a time of 2 o’clock for meeting and working each day.

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The next day we met at 2 at the Nadukuppam village temple courtyard. We began with talking about the tsunami and Tsunamika. We asked them how Tsunamika had affected their lives .We got almost the same answers. Most women said it had brought them extra livelihood. Some said it was a blessing after the Tsunami because they had no fishing boats, thus no fish, no work and all they did all day was to sleep or watch TV. Some women said that before the Tsunamika project they did not know most of the women in the village. Now they would come out once a week to the courtyard, dress up and chat together while working. Many of the women would meet together to make Tsunamikas. Thus it became clear to us that the project had changed the group dynamics of the village significantly. The women had found a space for interaction and exchange. They had also found a reason to come out of their homes, not for chores but for a purpose, which included creative leisure. This had boosted their confidence. The most notable aspect of this group was their energy. Another thing that almost all the women said about the Tsunamika project was that it had brought them closer to the outside world because now people like us visited them and their dolls traveled all over the world thus taking a part of them to other places. This became the starting point of the workshop for Puran and me. We decided to tap into the emotional relationship the women had with the Tsunamika doll and build up a story around her. Further we wanted to explore their relationship to the sea and the Tsunami wave. So over the next 6 days we built up a series of activities, which culminated in a Tsunamika story told with puppets to the entire village. Activity 1 We asked the women what they felt for the doll they were making. Who was she? Where had she come from? Was she just a piece of cloth? Some said they felt she had brought better times so she was like a friend or a helpful relative. One woman said she had three sons and the doll was like the daughter she had always wanted. Slowly relationships were revealed. Making the dolls for the last 7 months, beautifying them, dressing them etc the women had grown attached to the symbol but so far had never articulated their experiences, either of the whole Tsunami or of the Tsunamika phenomenon, subsequently. Some of them talked of the sea in anger and said it had taken everything away and that they were sometimes fearful when the saw the water rise. One of them pointed out that if the Tsunami wave had not come, Tsunamika would never have entered their lives. She concluded that for anything good to happen

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sometimes-bad things must precede them. This view was further reflected in the stories the women created. Activity 2 We divided the whole group into groups of 5 and asked them to create stories of who Tsunamika was and where she came from. One of the stories was that Tsunamika was a little girl who lived deep within the sea; she was alone and had a very lonely life. She was depressed and angry. She felt that people should suffer because she was, so she pushed the waves up in anger and came out of the sea. But when she saw the devastation she had created all around, she felt terrible. She asked the fisher folk to forget the Tsunami and promised to make them happy. Another story said Tsunamika was a sea angel. She came from the deep, deep sea to speak to the women and change their lives. She saw the lazy women and wanted them to change their lives but they would not listen to her voice. So she turned into a big Tsunami wave. If she had been a small wave they would not notice her as waves came to the shore each day. She came to change their lives. The disaster was bad but much good came out of it. One more story said Tsunamika lived in the sea and wanted to make friends. So she came out of the sea but when she saw the devastation and unhappiness she had caused, she decided to give the fisher folk something back. She gave them work, friends. First the whole village became friends, then six villages became friends and them she brought the whole world and the villages together. Another story spoke of Lord Shiva and Parvati doing the tandava dance which caused this natural calamity. So Tsunamika the angel came out to do good work. She was not born from the sea but got her name from it. Tsunamika is a reminder that some good always comes out of bad things. Happiness can be appreciated if suffering is felt. My favorite story was where one group said Tsunamika was a sea angel who came to help the fisherwomen. She wanted fisherwomen to do good work, find their own strength and capability. So she became different things to different people. Daughter, friend, sister, and hope. While the fisherwomen made the Tsunamika, dressed her and played with her, Tsunamika could not return this love. So she would now become a puppet that could hug the fisherwomen back.

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Activity 3 We picked portions from each group’s story and then asked the groups to create their own storyboard. Each group was given sheets of paper on which they sketched/drew a part of the story. We then collected all the pictures and tried to put them in some order so that a visually continuous story would emerge. This is what emerged. Tsunamika was a sea angel who lived under the sea but occasionally came up on the waves. She was disappointed to see the lazy fisherwomen. She wanted to talk to them but they would not listen. They were too busy at the marketplace or sleeping or watching TV. So she became a big wave and came to the coast. There was terrible devastation. The people were very unhappy, women were crying. Tsunamika felt terrible. She came to the beach and saw a crying, inconsolable woman and fell in her lap. At that time she was only a ball. The woman stopped crying, picked her up, made her clothes, decorated her and she became her daughter. She then taught all the other women how to make Tsunamikas. In this way the doll brought back their happiness and took their message all over the world. But Tsunamika could not physically hug them back so she turned into a puppet that could sing and dance with the women and hug them. Activity 4 We taught them how to make Tsunamika glove puppets. Using plastic pipes and rags we taught the women how to make Tsunamika glove puppets. We used small 2-3 inch pieces of pipe to make the neck of the doll. On one end would be the puppets head on the other end the puppeteer could insert her/his finger. The heads were mainly stuffed white cloth shaped as a ball. Then pieces of black cloth were used to make the puppets’ hair and the eyes, nose and mouth were stitched using black thread. The dress was mainly a long piece of cloth gathered at the neck and attached to the base of the head. Activity 5 We taught them how to use the puppets. We then created a stage using a clothesline and a sari. We gave the women a demonstration of how the puppet is worn on the hand and how the head and the arms can be

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moved. Then the women were taught how to move the puppets, how they could be made to walk, sit, lie down etc. The women looked at their storyboards again and with our help translated the visuals to scenes. They also provided their own sound effects for the performance. There was of course much giggling and laughing at the puppet manipulation stage but some of them were actually quite good as puppeteers. Activity 6 We taught them how to make Tsunamika rod puppets. We felt there was a need to teach them to make slightly larger puppets also. So we used plastic balls and rods. The balls were punctured and a wooden rod was pushed through the hole and fixed with a strong nail. Then we covered the ball in white fabric. After that the process was much the same. The noses etc were made with thread. We used black bindis (ceremonial dots on the forehead) to make eyes and half a red bindi to make a smiling mouth. The dress was the same pattern of gathered pieces of large cloth. The head was manipulated with one hand and the other hand of the puppeteer became the puppet hand. The women spent a lot of time decorating these puppets. One lady even put perfume on her Tsunamika puppet! Activity 7 The women made their own performance and performed for the entire village. At the end of the 6 days the women had prepared a small presentation of the story. We had an audience of about 150-200 people. The husbands and families of the woman were a major part of the audience. The children also joined in the performance dancing backstage as the women manipulated the puppets, singing and dancing in the performance. Conclusions

1. The Tsunamika project has been a great success as far as self help groups go. One of the main reasons is because it is not run by a quasi government organization, but is totally a private concern. Thus the system of working has emerged from, evolved and been tailor made for the specific needs of this region. It is not a replication of a pre- existing, successful module. The involvement of the Upasna group is completely voluntary and driven by their personal rapport with the village women. The system is almost 90% efficient. The

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supply of material for doll making, collection of finished goods, quality check, packing, posting etc are handled under Upasna supervision with a superb efficiency rarely seen in the NGO sector. Also the project is at present manageable and controlled within a few villages. All these factors have lent themselves to its success.

2. At the same time it is important to look at the future of such a project. Firstly, it is funded from outside and does not generate its own income. That is not a sustainable option. The project must find alternate sources of income. Goodwill should be only one of them.

3. The project also needs to move towards more responsibility for the women and less intervention of the Upasna group. That will ensure greater participation and more empowerment of the women.

4. Thus Upasna needs to move towards giving more responsibility to the women and less handholding.

5. Upasna has brought the women out of their houses and to a place where they are willing to learn new skills eagerly. This is the time to introduce new skills and crafts in the community, guaranteed to generate new sources of income.

6. Our workshop helped the women to put Tsunamika, their livelihood, in a different perspective. It helped them to articulate their relationship with Tsunamika, a result of the devastating tragedy and the sea, which is such a significant part of their lives. It helped to disclose the anxieties they have about the sea. Thus the process became cathartic.

7. Most of these women had no previous exposure to performance or puppets. At the end of the 6 days they were not only writing their own stories, making their own puppets but also performing!

8. The process involved not just the women but also their children and their men folk. Thus our workshop turned into a community gathering and eventually a big celebration.

The following are the suggestions I had made to the Upasna group as possible future options.

1. The Tsunamika story can eventually become a storytelling and puppetry kit so that not only is there a marketable product but it also leads to becoming a continual reminder of the disaster as well as of the indomitability of the human spirit that coped with it.

2. Tsunamika dolls can be distributed in festivals and after performances.

3. Other crafts training programs can be introduced to generate income to the group where the Tsunamika doll can accompany these products as free gifts.

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4. The Tsunamika performance can be an inspiration for other Tsunami affected people and the show must be performed for more people.

Therapeutic Theatre for Tsunami Victims Workshop (Andaman and Nicobar Islands). Report: by Syed Sallauddin Pasha

MAIN OBJECTIVES

1. Stress relief therapy through therapeutic theatre techniques to Tsunami families

2. Bring them back to nature and restore their close relationship with it (Mainly to the sea) so they can start life as before.

3. Reconstruct cultural life 4. Create/Train community leaders in therapeutic tools.

THERAPEUTIC TOOLS USED

1. “Another Tsunami” – Therapeutic theatre play/workshop for Tsunamis.

2. Workshops with nature. 3. Meditation techniques. 4. Laughter therapy 5. Emotions – way of life. 6. Bringing back community culture. 7. Aqua therapy to persons with disability. 8. Community based rehabilitation through leadership building.

GROUPS, which participated in workshops

1. KATCHAL TRIBES 2. NICOBARI TRIBES 3. RANCHI TRIBES 4. ANDRA FISHERMAN FROM LITTLE ANDAMAN 5. Leaders of tribal and other Communities (building leaders from

each community) 29/10/05 Beginning Left Chennai at 5am and reached Port Blair, capital city of Andaman Islands at 7.30am. Spoke to community people and with the support of locals and with Action Aid volunteers drew up a plan of therapeutic

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activities. Since there were many more Tsunami affected families at camps at Hut Bay – Little Andaman, I decided that this would be my main camp to work with different tribes. 30/10/05 Meeting KATCHAL TRIBES form KATCHAL Islands. KATCHAL Islands (One of the Nicobar Group of Islands) is a remote tribal area. Katchal was one of the worst tsunami affected areas. Almost 15,000 people lost their lives in that one big wave, many children become orphans and enormous suffering was witnessed. I began with study at the Port Blair Intermediate shelter complex at Brich Gung where 32 families with 82 members have been living in makeshift encampments for the past one-year, ever since the time of Tsunami. Workshop It was indeed a very moving experience to see all the children come running for the workshops. Both elders and children participated in the workshop with equal enthusiasm. Introductory workshops started with laughter therapy, meditation and simple breathing - relaxing techniques. Children enjoyed them the most. They never had this kind of exposure or experience, even before or after the tsunami. Later all of them took part in dance – movement therapy, this made them relax and feel more positive. I was surprised to find that ever since the tsunami they never thought of coming out to conduct such relaxing activities. Result of Therapeutic Theatre workshops

• Though it was very late in the day - almost a full year later - it seemed it was something they really needed. They felt this could have been done immediately after the Tsunami.

• This was first time they had experienced such therapeutic workshops.

• Their every day routine forced them to remember the Tsunami, Memory of their loss was difficult to forget, Therapeutic theatre workshops gave them a fresh opening into the techniques which could help them forget and move on. They unanimously decided that even after I was gone they will get together with other members of different communities to practice the dance-movement therapy and other techniques taught to them by “Guruji Pasha”.

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• While children enjoyed spontaneously, older people came out of curiosity, but stayed to watch and even learn when they found it interesting and useful.

• They felt it is a great way to release the stress and feel happy within. Samples studied

1. 65 years old Selena Suran lost his son, daughter- in- law and his two children.

2. Kalista Soreng: 22 years, lost her father, sister and two brothers. 3. Ashim Dutta: lost his wife Savita, daughter Priya and son Arindan 4. Minee: six year old, lost her father Phogo, mother Alma Barla and

elder sister Sheliva 5. 16 children and others

31/10/05 I left for Port Blair at 6.30 am and after a 9 hours journey in a ferry; I landed at Hut Bay - Little Andaman at 3 pm. Our boat could not land at the passengers’ jetty (the wall which protects the mainland). Since it was damaged by the Tsunami landing is at the cargo ships’ landing place instead of the wharf for passengers. As soon as I entered Hut Bay - Little Andaman Island, I felt that I am entering into a primeval land. I could see everything in visibility upside down, the buildings, trees, damaged pillars of homes, broken church walls … everything upside down. For some time I stopped breathing. It looked like everything had been swallowed by the sea. Oh god! I could feel the sounds of wailing of thousands of people. Most of them were homeless; many children had lost their parents. The more I saw, the more I heard the experiences of the inmates of the Tsunami camps, the more I felt I was witnessing something I will never be able to forget in my entire life. 4 pm to 9 pm Meeting Nicobari Tribes – Workshop with Members of the Nicobari Tribes They were very happy to meet me and before I could say anything, they asked enthusiastically what I would teach them while I was there. They had eagerly been waiting for my arrival. Workshop began with sharing each one’s experiences about the Tsunami. After the basic breathing exercises I provoked them to perform their native Nicobar Islands’ dance

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and song. After that I trained them in stress release therapy techniques. This helped them free themselves from mental blockages. Each one of them sang in a brave, high-pitched voice, addressing the sea and almost challenging it, saying no Tsunami will affect us … we didn’t face anything bad … we are fine and remain fine. O rain gods save us, serve us with rain to harvest and be able to produce bread for our children and families. Participants

• Taranyu Curtis: Male: Age - 52 • Chitroh: Male: Age - 48 • Edmund: Male: Age - 28 • Nelson: Male: Age - 26 • Hude: Male: Age - 45 • Amnon: Male: Age – 26 • Zita Rachael: Age – 24 • Jyoti Esther: Age - 23

A door opens for the Nicobari Community workshops They needed this. After the tsunami it was something they had really wanted and they welcomed the complete therapeutic workshops with open arms and embraced the experience and whatever they could learn. Most of them expressed happiness that they were coming out for the first time like this. Doors opened for community rehabilitation The success of the workshop opened the doors for the highly isolated Nicobari Community to feel that they were part of something bigger. Participants felt they wanted their community the take part in this and future workshops. They cordially invited me to their camp. Fortunately it was the festival of light - during this time they light the lamps and keep the fresh flowers for the dead ones. 1/11/2005 Building Community leadership for therapeutic rehabilitation work and for reconstructing society (an Intensive workshop) This was something I thought about seriously. The problem of getting together each member of the tribe was very difficult in a short time. I

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selected those who could serve as group leaders from each of the tribes. They had to be willing to associate for a long term with each tribe. To them I gave intensive training of therapeutic theatre. This has opened a new window for them. I made it a point that they would henceforth use these therapeutic techniques/tools to do community rehabilitation and work to wards ultimately constructing a community cultural center in respective tribal camps. But to begin with, I started with mobilizing, planning and constructing community leadership. “Tsunami heals the Tsunamis”- an intensive and effective workshop” Each one enacted their own stories; each of them chose their own actual story as an activity. Later I let all the activities combine with other activities. This produced a brilliant script, and there was no need to direct any one. The performance was of the Tsunami attacking them, here and now. They remembered each and every difficult movement they had gone through. Their cry, their enactment of how their abodes were so unexpectedly hit by earthquake and waves of water and how their families reacted - everything in and around them was done with so much conviction that it looked as if one more tsunami had come. So many stories, so much of pain, so much loss of life, a never ending, tale of tragedy in which each one had his own story to tell, from those who had lost some members of their families and their property to those who lost just about everything. Enacting the Tsunami by the tsunamis at the workshops removed their tsunami trauma. Immediately afterwards all the participants requested me to stop since they would need a minimum of one hour of rest. They felt completely relaxed by doing this. They said they were now ready to face any Tsunami. I really had tears in my eyes. This therapeutic theatre activity actually endowed them with a great strength! Participants of the Community leaders rehabilitation workshops were

• Rooja Kumari aged 21 Telugu speaking girl from the middle class family; all her property has been washed out.

• Doly Dutta aged 22 Bengali community, Property washed out, she lives at Nanjappan Nagar camp.

• Shant Kullu aged 19 property washed. Padauk, Tikery camp, property lost, Ranchi community (came form Jarkhand and Chattisgarh) mostly from freedom fighters community.

• Zita Rachael Female 24 years. Nicobari community, Property lost. • Groeti Maria aged 26 years. Ranchi Tribes, Property lost • Panka Raj Male aged 23 years, Ranchi community

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• Raja Rao Male aged 22 years Telugu speaking, Fishermen’s community, from Andhra community. In 1972 they came on their own for fishing.

• M. Shaym Sunder age 23 years, property lost, lost father, fisherman community. Paduak Tigari camp, Govt, sponsored.

• Disabled: M. Devaraj, aged 24 years, Telugu speaking, Property lost, belongs to the fishermen’s community.

• Jagani aged 23 years, female: Ranchi tribe lives in Ranchi basti, a completely agricultural land.

• Pranav Das, age 27 years, Bengali, loss property, he lost is grandfather, they were traveling in the bus, because of the earth quake they got down form the local bus and went into short rout to reach the Hut Bay, on the way Tsunami washed them.

Resolution by community leaders

• They will talk to the village Panchayat and Tehsildar, the district

official, to construct a community cultural center for tsunami-affected families.

• They would meet at least two days in a week to conduct community-based rehabilitation through the therapy techniques taught to them by Guruji Pasha.

• Meet the disabled people and members of the families, when ever and wherever it was possible, to conduct a workshop and interact with them.

• Help the tribal communities to practice song and dance activities and meet regularly to interact with one another.

Aqua Therapy to the Disabled

• Premlata, female, 11 years, disability: Down syndrome • Jogaram, male, 6 years, disability: physically disabled, mother is

widow

When I took Jogaram out to the sea he felt it was very good. This was the first time he had come out of the house and experienced the sea after the tsunami struck. He told me about how, initially, he remembered the tsunami with fear and was scared of water, but now he felt he was actually enjoying himself. Tamil speaking Premlata from Tamil Nadu, too came out of her house for the first time after Tsunami, She too repeated the same sentiment of happiness and relief. She actively participated in the therapeutic theatre workshop. She liked mostly the touch therapy. Every time she

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wanted to touch people and fallow the sound. Though to begin with she was a bit hesitant with playing in the water but later she became free and started floating on the sea. Therapeutic result When 6 year Jogaram participated in aqua therapy, initially he ran away from the water. After motivation, he started touching water and then running away. But a little later, after patient motivation, he started feeling good and started to touch, feel, stamp and even dance on the surface of the water. This development made him do the activity again and again. When Jogaram and Premlata joined hand in hand they started to help each other. This has helped these children to overcome their fear of water and reduced their psycho trauma significantly.

2/11/05 7 am to 10 pm ANDRA FISHERMAN FROM LITTLE ANDAMAN M. Shaym Sunder, 23 years, from fishermen community, lost his father, home and community during the tsunami. Presently he lives at Paduak Tigari camp. He participated in the community leader workshop on 1/11/05. Earlier he actively participated in building community leadership programs. After getting inspired by the earlier therapy workshop, he has started to trust the sea once again and this has motivated him to extend the same therapeutic activities within his fishermen’s community. He requested me to meet the members of his family. When I met his community, they already knew about my work and expressed confidence in Shyam, saying they would learn from Shyam. Shyam too committed himself and said that he will work with his community and help them through using my therapeutic models. 2/10/05 7 pm to 10 pm Nicobari Tribes community workshop: Day 1 - festival of light for the dead ones I felt it was the right time to conduct a therapy workshop and study the community. When I visited the Nicobari tribes they too already new about

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me and my work through the aegis of some if the earlier participants. They were happy to receive me at Harminder Tsunami relief camp. It was wonderful to see their culture and know how they makes flower for all the dead ones in one place. They sang traditional songs and moved their body rhythmically during this activity. The workshop began with children dancing tribal dances. Later I was amazed to see how beautifully they dance, even to the melodies of Hindi movie songs. Workshop continued amidst a coconut tree plantation. Mostly young people participated in this workshop. It was beautiful to see them dance with complicated steps and sing, holding the hands. They liked the way I was giving them creative ideas on how to improvise their own tribal dances. This inspired them to try to remember and bring back forgotten tribal movements into their dance. It was an exhilarating workshop. Each participant danced until he or she was visibly relived of his or her inner pain and stress. They felt very relaxed and said that this was the very first time, in a long, long while that they had danced with such involvement and even tried to remember the movements that they had forgotten. This experience, they said, had healed their souls and they intended to continue the practice as often as possible. Watching Nicobari Tribes dancing in the middle of a coconut tree plantation inspired me to make a study of how beautifully and naturally they make their living abodes, their huts and how they conduct their livelihood, mainly of fishing. It was good to know natural methods of keeping the houses cool using bamboo knitting. She is the one I was amazed to see Zita Rachael (24 years, female) from Nicobari community. She was dancing very complicated steps and movements. Some of the steps looked like they had similarities to the Indian classical style of Kuchipudi. This is what I needed - some thing strong. I focused on her as she is going to be the one who can alone bring back the community’s integrity through cultural life. I gave her special lessons on how to use choreography combining Nicobari tribal movements. Later I demonstrated and taught her movements from Bharatanatyam and Kathak. She was very happy to learn some of the movements. 03/11/05 Meeting RANCHI TRIBE

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The royal treatment given to me by the Ranchi Tribe, when I arrived at the Ranchi Tribe colony, was amazing. It was overwhelming to see 60 to 70 families with children gathered to celebrate the therapy workshop as a festival. They washed my feet - my hands and gave me handfuls of flowers. It was very moving. They talked about this being the first time families had come out to dance, sing and play the drums, ever since the tsunami struck. My workshop had participants form 6 to 85 years. This workshop was primarily concentrated on bringing back their own culture. Recovery of their culture, even in this brief while, was already helping in raising the level of harmony and peace amongst them. It was clear that community rehabilitation through psycho- social activity, something in which their own culture was dominant, would not only heal the participants but also help them become free of psychological trauma. Ultimately it would help in unifying all age groups in a single bond. I made them dance like shamans - until they were exhausted and until they were relieved of pain. This gave them new energy. Their circular movements and soothing music healed them visibly. At the end of the sessions they would commit themselves to doing this regularly. A brief history: They came to Andaman & Nicobar Islands from Jarkhand and Chattisgarh during 1972-73, to work on the Red Oil Program and timber cutting projects as workers. Other members of their families followed them subsequently. Outcome of workshop Constructing culture and community. For the first time, after the tsunami, all the families danced and sang together. Dancing in ecstasy released then from their tsunami trauma. Culture united the community. They committed to continue practice culture with all other tribes. IMPACT OF THERAPEUTIC THERAPY ON TSUNAMI VICTIMS: A GENERAL VIEW Response to therapeutic tools application

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• The methodology was completely new to them and had never happened before. Yet they showed deep interest in each step of the application.

• Since the time of the Tsunami, a number of NGOs have worked or continue to work with tribes and families by giving them shelter, food etc., but nobody tried to apply any therapeutic tools to heal their sense of trauma and give them peace by dealing with the release of stress.

• Each participant, from the age of 6 years to 85 years, showed overwhelming response and involvement by participating, learning and practicing.

• Many of them felt they could have applied this stress release/ healing/ therapeutic tools immediately after the tsunami. It was late but nevertheless this was still something very much needed.

• Most of the workshops were conducted close to nature, surrounded by like trees and water. Taking them closer to the water helped them greatly in terms of overcoming their fear of the sea.

• Tsunami play: Enacting the tsunami as a part of art therapy helped the victims to cope with many hidden fears, especially of the tsunami.

• Awakening cultural activities united the community at a fundamental level -that of the heart.

• Tribal Dances: Intensive, creative dance movement workshops with tribal communities helped them think of new movements and revive forgotten movements.

• Motivation for the future in terms of constructing a community cultural center for all the tribes.

• Disability awareness program: Communities will meet disabled people and their families for counseling and rehabilitation programs and conduct regular workshops and interactions with them.

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UNESCO Post-Tsunami Rehabilitation Programme Using traditional Performing Arts and Musical Expressions in the South

and South-East Asian Sub-Region

Implementation Report Indonesia

by

Sangeeta Isvaran dansingin@gmail.com

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Objective To assess the possibilities of developing a project using traditional art forms to help dealing with the post-earthquake trauma on various levels, to the mutual benefit of the respective community and the arts. Transmutation of the original project In order to define the parameters of this project, it is necessary to explain two important transmutations from its original conception to the actual implementation. 1. Focusing on communities affected by the earthquake and not the tsunami. 2. Doing a survey across a cross-section of different communities rather than focusing on one. 1. Why ‘post-earthquake’ and not ‘post-tsunami? Right at the beginning I would like to explain why this project went from being a post-tsunami exercise to a post-earthquake effort. What was not clear before I arrived in Nias was that the earthquake of March 28, 2005 devastated the region much more than the tsunami of December 26, 2004. While some coastal towns of western Nias were affected by the tsunami, notably Sirombu where 20 deaths were recorded and Lehawa where fishermen lost many boats, the earthquake in March claimed 850 lives and left thousands homeless. On arriving in Gunung Sitoli, the capital of the Nias region, and the area which suffered the most from the earthquake I realized that not only did the earthquake physically do more damage than the tsunami, but the fear and trauma does not have a chance to subside since almost every week, sometimes more often, there is an earthquake of varying intensity, sometimes imperceptible, sometimes strong enough to send everyone running out of the houses. During my three-week stay in Nias, there were at least 5 quakes; two strong enough to cause physical damage to property though lives were not lost. Having experienced a minor quake on the first day of my stay and the ensuing panic and fear, I decided to focus on post-earthquake trauma. 2. Survey across a cross-section of different communities: Since so little is known about Nias -- about the social structure, the local art forms, the belief systems and so on -- it was imperative to do a basic study of different communities. After a week it became clear that Nias consisted of several different communities that were fairly polarised, each having subsumed the experience of the earthquake and the subsequent emotional upheaval in very different ways. Hence the decision to invest time doing a study across different communities rather than focusing on one isolated case. This I believe is essential to implement the project in a more profound and meaningful manner.

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Background about Nias Population: 7,26,881 people [2004 census]1

Nias is an island off the West coast of Sumatra with a very unique culture of its own. Unusually for Indonesia, the population is predominantly Christian - 93% Christian, 4-5% Muslim and 2-3%Buddhist - with almost 50 different church denominations jostling for space. The island is divided into two districts - Nias and South Nias. The capital of Nias is Gunung Sitoli and that of South Nias is Tuluk Dalam. Though the altitude varies from sea level to only 800m, Nias is very, very hilly with steep slopes and valleys. This makes many villages in the interior practically inaccessible. The infrastructure is very poor, the roads very bad. Many villages are accessible only by motorbike and many more only by foot. The only road that is maintained in fairly good repair is the one running from Gunung Sitoli to Tuluk Dalam along the east coast. For this reason, when the tsunami and later the earthquake occurred it was difficult, indeed practically impossible, to send aid to the majority of the island. Literacy levels are very low mainly because many of the villages are inaccessible. Healthcare is very poor and a large percentage of the population is below the poverty line [the figures vary drastically from the governmental to non-governmental sources]. Malaria and tuberculosis are endemic. Also Nias is a pork-based economy. A large percentage of the population [being Christian] raises pigs or hunt wild pigs. But one of the latest health surveys showed that a large percentage of the population has high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and subsequent cardiac problems due to the amount of pork fat in the diet. This, of course, increases the risk of death and diseases or health problems caused by stressful conditions, especially after the earthquake. The Nias people believe that their origins lie in the area of Gomo in southern Nias. The southern part of Nias has adhered to its traditions and culture far more than the north. One finds villages constructed in wood in the traditional way. Many animistic beliefs and rituals are mixed with the practicing religions in South Nias. The northern part of Nias is very much more developed and westernized. This is partly due to the fact that Gunung Sitoli is the economic hub of Nias and thus more connected to the rest of the world. But it is also due to the fact that the forms of Christianity practiced have adopted western modes of worship and life as well. One can see this all over Nias. Most of the churches have pianos, keyboards or even full-scale bands with electric and acoustic guitars, drums, microphones, sophisticated sound systems and so on. This is very popular among the youth and gospel rock is taking over the entire island. These churches get a lot of funding from other parts of Indonesia as well as international Christian organizations making them a strong economic power centre for the people. Historically, the Muslim religion managed to integrate with the local cultural practices and beliefs. To a certain extent, the Catholic missionaries also used local

1 Refer Appendix 1 on facts and figures of Nias

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traditions to preach their message. Unfortunately, the Protestant missionaries that arrived banned all ancestral worship, prohibited many animistic forms of worship and imposed the Western mode of living as well as religion. Presently the Protestant population forms the majority and their practices have spread all over Nias. When one talks about culture it is more than just artistic forms of expression. The food and the language of Nias still remain unique. The language is widely spoken, more than Bahasa Indonesia is. But the local forms of weaving and traditional clothing have given way to the ubiquitous jeans and T-shirts. The local dance and music forms are dying out. Of course, they are still taught in schools and the Maina, especially, still is a very popular social dance, being performed on all social occasions. But one hardly hears the traditional instruments. They are relics of the past and seem to play no role in the fabric of the lives of the people. While art forms like the Maina and Moyo have survived, they are fighting a losing battle against western pop, gospel, Indonesian Dangdut, of course, and even Bollywood [Indian film] music and dance. Background about Gunung Sitoli Population: 73,604 people [2004 census]2

I decided to concentrate on the city of Gunung Sitoli for two reasons. The primary one was that it was the area that suffered the most damage during the earthquake. More than half the victims were in Gunung Sitoli. Since it is the city with the highest concentration of urban construction in Nias, with houses more than two storeys high and many concrete buildings, most of the damage occurred here. The traditional villages in Nias are all built of wood, so the casualties were not so high outside Gunung Sitoli. The second largest city, Tuluk Dalam, the capital of South Nias, was the next affected. The official count3 is stated to be 850 deaths in Nias of which 455 were recorded only in Gunung Sitoli but unofficial sources place it at almost twice the number. For example, the Chinese community claims that there were 400 dead just within their own community. In Gunung Sitoli, 654 houses were said to be totally destroyed and about 2,000 partially destroyed. Again unofficial sources give much higher figures. But even taking the official count, a great many people died and thousands have been rendered homeless, living in refugee camps, even after 8 months. The second one was the shortage of time and lack of infrastructure. The initial project was to be based in Banda Aceh where I had contact persons running NGOs or were members of local communities that would provide me with a ready entry. When the project focus was shifted to Nias it was under the understanding that UNESCO Jakarta had a project going there, with the necessary contacts and infrastructure. This unfortunately was not the case. Their project in Hilinawalo 2 Refer Appendix 1. 3 Refer Appendix 2.

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Mazingo had not continued after the initial survey due to various reasons. Moreover, Nias is a very neglected part of Indonesia. The locals themselves feel very marginalized. Facts on Nias are hard to come by. I landed in Gunung Sitoli after a harrowing twenty-four-hour bus and ferry journey, with just one address and phone number in hand. Two days in Gunung Sitoli, after documenting the extent of damage and experiencing the panic that simmered not far below the surface after every earthquake and tremor, I decided to base the project over there. To take it to the more remote areas like Sirombu or Lehawa would have been very difficult given the lack of infrastructure and the time-constraint. There was a field trip undertaken to villages in South Nias and to Tuluk Dalam. Description of the local art forms and their status in the community Most of the art forms that I researched were dance and music traditions. There are many types of traditional dances like the Maina and the Moyo, both of which seem to be practised all over Nias; Faluaya and Mogaele from South Nias; Fanaho tuwu from the region of Gunung Sitoli and the northern part of Nias; Tari Saembu and Tari Maru from Puluhinako and so on. Most of them are not practiced anymore. Many of these are taught in schools and danced on special occasions. For example, the Ya howu dance is a dance of welcome and is performed when special visitors come. But the only dances that are still commonly known and widely practised are the Maina and the Moyo. The Maina is the most prevalent. Every community that I worked with could perform it. It consists of very simple footwork, stamping emphatically on the floor and turning in the four cardinal directions. The music for the Maina is very flexible. The words are usually in Bahasa Nias, and the songs vary from region to region. Now there are songs in Bahasa Indonesia as well. The Maina is also easy to perform because they can sing the songs as well as dance. When performed to recorded music, though the song and tune are traditional all the instruments appear to be western, like the guitar, keyboards, drums and so on. The Moyo is less well known. In most of the communities only a few of the older women could dance it. Also the songs of the Moyo are not so well known. So they cannot dance it whenever they feel like but have to have access to a tape or CD player or a live orchestra. The other dance forms seem to have lost their relevance in community life in Gunung Sitoli. They are performed by groups of children in schools or by groups of dancers that ‘export’ the culture of Nias. By that I mean professional groups of dancers that travel to national and international festivals to exhibit the culture of Nias. But sadly, in daily life, they are hardly known and do not form part of the communal memory of the people today.

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The traditional instruments like the gongs, double-headed drum, and flute are rarely seen and are even more in danger of extinction than the dance forms. These sounds and rhythms are disappearing from the auditory memory of the people, replaced by the guitar, western drums, keyboards and other instruments. Structure of the sessions Most of the communities approached had a hard time comprehending the nature of the project initially. When one says one comes from an NGO, they flock to you thinking that you bring financial or physical aid of some kind. The notion of psychological aid is quite foreign and sometimes the communities would press for financial aid and submit statements listing their needs to me. The only reason they would give me their time and attention was frankly the lure of ‘Bollywood’ and Indian dance. While many communities were willing to talk to me once, it was difficult to convince them to come for several sessions, essential for the development of the workshops. The only reason they came was because the workshops were lots of fun and we did a lot of Bollywood and Indian folk dancing [with the children we did a lot of acrobatics, juggling and so on] and then I would coax them into showing me the Maina, the Moyo, to sing their traditional songs and so on. Then we would talk about their experiences and do several exercises in movement that helped them express their feeling about the earthquake and how it has changed their lives. A major factor in the workshops was that there was no space to dance, no formal space. We danced wherever the communities could find some space. It was mostly on floor covered by rubble under roofs of canvas, no walls and the hands would hit the roof if lifted high enough. If it rained, and it rained a lot since it was the wet season, we would huddle in the middle till it passed. Questionnaires It was impossible to hand out questionnaires and ask people to fill them out because many were illiterate and many did not want to take the time to fill it out. So the interviews were oral and recorded on video with notes being taken simultaneously. Some of the questions asked were the following: About the earthquake and their experience

• Can you describe to me what happened to you at the time of the earthquake?

• What did you feel? Give me one word to describe your emotions? • Do you still talk about your experiences?

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• Do you experience any panic attacks, shortness of breath, nightmares? • How do you handle your fear? • What do you do when you have nightmares or you relive the earthquake

experience? About their needs right now

• What do you lack? • Has your life changed from before the earthquake? In what way? • Do you see any positive side to the earthquake?

About their art forms

• How familiar are you with traditional dance and music? • What kind of music do you listen to? • Can you sing or dance a traditional Nias form? • Do you like doing the Maina?

About the workshop

• What do you feel about this workshop? • Do you feel that getting together and dancing and talking has helped you? • Would you like to continue these workshops?

The communities I worked across a range of communities representing different religions, socio-economic backgrounds, genders, age groups, and that were affected by the earthquake on many different levels. Some were regular middle-class communities who had not lost much financially during the earthquake but were definitely marked emotionally. Some were communities that had lost everything. Some had lost family members. I will try and describe the communities, their reactions to the workshop [both the artistic side and the question-answer session] and a short assessment of their needs.

1. The children of the Sunday School of the Gereja Christian Baithany These children [between 7 and 12 years of age] belong to middle-class families; all go to school; they are trained in choir music and gospel rock; their families have not lost homes and were financially not very affected by the earthquake. This group of children was the least inhibited. In normal language they would be called brats, full of energy and hard to control! They had no problems talking about their experiences, how they felt during the earthquake and after. This is a good sign and what was even more encouraging was the fact that they had actually invented games of

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‘earthquakes’. We also played many more that encouraged them to relive and rethink their experiences. They obviously came from stable families; they had a lot of contact and ‘cuddling’ essential for security among young children. They talked a lot! Getting them to stop talking about the earthquake, their real and imagined experiences [they made up a lot of stories too, another healthy sign] of that day was quite difficult. Also their church had a huge electric band and they all had regular singing and dancing activities. They all knew the Maina and had even written their own song about Jesus to which they would perform the Maina. A curious blending of the old and the new! The Sunday School was a proper structure with a roof and walls, equipped with a CD player, a band and so on and hence the workshops were easy to conduct. There was one session with the adolescent youth of the Gereja Christian Baithany. They too typically exhibited not many signs of trauma. They wanted to know more about Bollywood, they could dance the Maina, may of them were part of the gospel rock band, they talked freely about the earthquake, and all of them, the children and adolescents, expressed the importance of prayer in combating their fear. 2. The women of the refugee camp near the Gereja Christian Baithany This was a group of middle aged women from poorer communities. Most of them have lost their homes. They live in tents with basic electricity and water supply. They have not been displaced from their community. One disturbing feature was that the camp, at the time of the workshops, was divided into two factions. Apparently the government had done a survey of the families in the camp living in the tents and then had chosen only some families to receive aid. No one was clear on what basis these families were chosen and not the others in similar difficulties. This naturally had created a lot of bitterness and violence in the community of refugees. During the workshops there were at least two instances when violence erupted as the women from different families could not conceal their antagonism. The workshop also attracted families from the different factions and this was the first time they were interacting together in a peaceful activity. But the very proximity and interaction set off disputes, one which actually escalated into stone throwing, but which thankfully could be solved quite peacefully. Many of the women later admitted that the workshops had given them an opportunity to discuss the problems between the two factions and to engage in a harmonious activity that had no bearing on these problems.

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“Dancing together gives us an outlet for our feelings and makes us feel good and optimistic about the future. It is also making our community stronger and more united.” This was one comment from one of the eldest women, a sort of a matriarch in the community. Response to the workshop was very enthusiastic among these women. In spite of their heavy workload - taking care of their children and families, cooking, cleaning, working to earn some money, applying and lining up for aid at government centres - all of them came thrice a week for the workshops. They said that there was no creative activity in their lives and no opportunity to meet and exchange ideas and build support, no outlet to express their emotions. This age and gender group seemed to be the neediest for this kind of workshop and seemed to have benefited the most from it, though the space was a rubble-covered floor under a low roof of canvas and no walls. 3. The students of the traditional Islamic Primary School These students [between 7 and 12 years of age] were traditional, orthodox Muslims and the school taught the Koran and Arabic apart from the regular school lessons. The school was just in front of a large devastated area where many Muslim families had lived and which was now completely destroyed. There were still some families living on the site under tents. Other families had been moved to other camps, so the communities had suffered quite a lot of rupture. The school itself was partly destroyed. We danced on a sandy floor, one wall was destroyed, no CD player, no tape recorder. The children, especially the older girls with headscarves, reaching puberty, were very inhibited. This group of children was the hardest to coax into daring to move. The children in the Christian communities exhibited much less inhibition. A reasonable assumption would be that this was because in the church, they had many music and dance activities and hence were used to it. In contrast, these children were very shy when it came to movement, though they would talk as much as the others. For example when I clapped a rhythm, they followed readily enough but when I raised my hands to clap above my head, many of the girls stopped and would not follow. The simple act of extending the body-space, lifting the hands, leaving the torso vulnerable was too much for them. They did not know the Maina very well, but seeing the interest I took in it, one of the older teachers came forward and she demonstrated it and the children followed her.

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Living among the signs of the devastation seems quite hard on the children, though they talk freely about the earthquake and point out their houses, now not much more than rubble. But the community is very strong and their parents and teachers are very optimistic about the future. There is a lot of residual fear, aggravated by the repeated smaller tremors and the parents say that many of the children exhibited signs of stress like bed-wetting, nightmares etc. But now the situation is better. All the children enjoyed the workshops after the initial hesitation. They were much more enthusiastic about it and attached to the workshops, than the children of the Christian communities, since for them, this was their only creative outlet. They have no singing or dance or art activities as part of their school, family or religious life. 4. The youth that come to the Christian NGO ‘Youth With A Mission’ [YWAM] These are young people between the ages of 13 and 16. They come from mainly middle class families but some are from other economic backgrounds. They come from different church denominations, all Protestant but different churches. The activities of the centre typically include prayer, talks by visiting preachers, singing Gospel rock and dancing to gospel music and religious songs mainly in a western pop or gospel mode. The centre also provides aid to various Christian communities in Gunung Sitoli and surrounding regions. YWAM is an international NGO with branches all over the world. It also provides counseling for these young people and uses the arts [mainly music and dance] in the healing process. They have a large house with a shed, a CD player and sound system, guitars and so on. The workshop was enthusiastically received but the boys refused to dance; only the girls participated. This was the quite startling because the notion that ‘boys do not dance’ is not essentially an Asian one nor typical of Nias. They all spoke of the earthquake and its effect on their lives. Some also volunteer to help other communities in need. Many wish to become preachers. Prayer is their solution to everything. They could dance the Maina but were not very interested in the traditions of their own culture. Many spoke English, a fairly rare phenomenon in Nias, which maybe has contributed to their ‘westernization’. This group I felt maybe did not need the workshops from the point of view of healing but they definitely needed them to learn about their own culture. I brought some of the traditional artists along for one session and many in the group had never seen this before. Since many in the centre go on to train as counselors, this would be a good place to incorporate the notion of using the

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traditional arts as part of their counseling techniques, instead of using only western music and dance. 5. A group from the Chinese Buddhist community in Gunung Sitoli This was a mixed group of people, both men and women, adolescents and adults. They came from mainly middle class families. They were mostly Buddhists, a few being Christian. This community displayed a dual sense of identity - while they belonged to different religions, they identified themselves with their Chinese roots. There was only one session with them, in one of their houses, since they were busy rebuilding their homes and businesses. This was the only group that was not conversant with the Maina, considering it a part of the heritage of Nias and not their own, though they have lived in Nias for generations. The music that was most popular with them was Dangdut and Bollywood to a smaller extent. They practised no traditional forms of dance, music or art. They talked freely about the earthquake, especially the younger ones. When asked how they handled their trauma, they replied that they immersed themselves in rebuilding their business and houses and they would be at peace when they could move back into their old homes. They seemed to have a very strong sense of community and a strong network as well. They also had a lot of help coming from Chinese communities from other parts of Indonesia. They enjoyed the workshop, though only the younger ones came forward to dance. As said before, they did not know the Maina, and were not very interested in learning it. They wanted Bollywood dancing of course. We also did some exercises in creative expression and a little bit of the Maina. But at the end of the workshop, they admitted that they had enjoyed dancing and the creative activity and would like to do it again. 6. A group of women and girls from the largest Muslim refugee camp in Gunung Sitoli The group consisted of a mixture of adolescents and older women, even a few grandmothers. They come from the lowest income bracket. Many did not have their own homes before the earthquake. They had rented their houses. When these houses were destroyed or damaged, the owners were able to receive compensation from the government and these people got nothing. They are now housed in tents in refugee camps with fresh water supply, where they have lived for the past 8 months. They receive aid from several local and international NGOs but there are still no concrete plans to

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relocate them. Many of them are fishermen who have lost their boats and hence their livelihood. Some are ‘bejak’ [rickshaw] drivers but who do not own their own vehicles but rent them. The women participated with great enthusiasm in the workshop. They would gather ahead of time and never leave. They never asked for monetary aid but accepted the notion of dance for its own sake. They had very uninhibited body language and dress sense, many wore torn clothes or parts of clothes but that did not stop them from dancing. None of the participating girls or women wore headscarves. 4

They all could perform the Maina. Not having a tape recorder, they sang the Maina as they danced. Sometimes, lack of technology means that the oral traditions are very strong. A curious incident that took place in one session: After performing the Maina for me singing a traditional Nias Maina, suddenly a woman called out that they must show their special Maina since I was their guest. The special Maina was written in Bahasa Indonesia and they did not know it by heart. One woman read it from a piece of paper as they danced and they all repeated the chorus. The workshops were conducted in a large tent with no walls, on a broken concrete floor. It generated a lot of fun and laughter and drew many surrounding people. As a result for the first time the women in the camps actually met people from the surrounding houses actually living in the area. Since these women were indulging in a ‘special’ activity, they gained status among the locals. A few women confessed they were treated as interlopers or a threat to local peace and they welcomed this chance to interact with the local community and work towards legitimizing their extremely precarious existence. This was a very unexpected outcome of the workshops. Yet wonderful! One does not know if any good will come out of it but at least a channel of communication has been created. The women enjoyed the workshops very much and said that they could not wait for the next one. They enjoyed a break from their hard lives. They also said that the dancing and sharing helped them think and rethink some of their perceptions of their lives and ideas for the future. They had not talked about the earthquake and their hopes for the future, having no time, survival in the present being the most important priority. They said that the workshop brought them a lot of relief from the strain of their daily lives, and especially appreciated the chance to share their thoughts and build potential support groups. 7. The women of a Muslim refugee camp in Tuluk Dalam

4 Refer the ‘Comments’ section, number 4.

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This was a single session during a brief field trip to the south of Nias. The people of the refugee camp were actually victims of the tsunami of December 26, 2004 and later of the earthquake in March. They have lived in the camp for more than a year now. They are mainly fishermen but to return to live by the sea is too traumatic a notion. Now their tents are located on land that belongs to some ‘rich businessman’ in Medan who has not yet objected to their presence. They fear what will become of them when they are forced to move. When asked how they handle their fear, the most common reply was that as long as they do not live by the sea they feel fine. They do not want to return to their old homes. It appears that the geographical relocation, fleeing the scene of devastation has helped them put an emotional distance to their traumatic experience on that day. This does not seem to be a very healthy sign and this group of people has not had any access to counseling. They also complain bitterly that since they are Muslims in a predominantly Christian region, they do not receive any aid. They feel marginalized by the government. But apparently some Islamic political parties from the mainland are helping them, another dangerous sign of the communal polarization of people. They were very happy to participate in the dance activity and they were slightly familiar with the Maina, though not fluent in it. There was no indoor space for the workshop which was held in an impromptu fashion under the trees outside. Since they live in Tuluk Dalam, they have access to health care and all the children go to school. Some of them also said that they were glad the tsunami and earthquake happened since that has brought them aid from the Indonesian and international community. 8. The youth at the traditional village of Hilinawalo Mazingo in South Nias This village can only be accessed by a grueling motorbike ride up and down steep slopes on a cobblestone road or no road. The motorbikes ford several streams in an impressive Indiana-Jones style not meant for the weak-hearted. The village itself is an incredible sight with traditional wooden houses and an immense, 200 year old house supported by many huge logs of trees towering vertically upwards. The people are Christian, but many animistic practices have survived. There was a ceremony the day we arrived and two pigs were killed. They were not killed quickly and painlessly but the kill was prolonged. Men gathered around the screaming animal, taking care to stab it slowly. When asked the reason, they say that during the dying period the spirit of the animal escapes slowly. They gather around to inhale its spirit and the more time it takes the more

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power they will get. Such beliefs and rituals are still prevalent in South Nias along with many others, notably the stone-jumping ceremony. As a rite of passage, adolescent boys are required to jump over a tall stone painted in ceremonious colours placed in the centre of the village. This forms part of a ritual and a dance. The workshop was mainly with teenagers. They exhibited very little inhibition and a strong penchant for Bollywood. As inaccessible as the village is, Dangdut and Bollywood are still very popular. But they all could dance and sing the Maina and late that night, after the ceremony, everybody got together to perform it. The older women could do the Moyo as well. The chief and his wife also possessed ceremonial clothes in the traditional colours woven in that region. But sadly one did not see any traditional instruments, only the ubiquitous guitar. The earthquake here did not cause any deaths since the houses are built of wood. It caused some damage and initially people were scared to move back into the houses, preferring to stay in tents. But they have moved back now after performing some ceremonies to bless the houses. When asked, the youngsters said that they did not have nightmares of the earthquake, they did not think of it often. If they did, then they prayed to overcome the fear. Though they were frightened at that time, it does not appear to have traumatized them unduly.

Suggestions to develop a project using the traditional art forms for healing The goal is to reintroduce traditional art forms into different communities; to help the art form regain relevance in the contemporary social framework; and to help people overcome their trauma and build stronger communities. Across all the communities from different religious faiths, socio-economic backgrounds, gender and age, one thing was distressingly clear: the growing distance to traditional art forms and practices. I have divided the project into two parallel strategies, dealing with two different aspects of the project. One deals directly with the utilization of a traditional art form in trauma healing. The other attempts to develop a way of making traditional art forms a part of regular community activities so that they can access it whenever in need. Strategy 1 From the workshops one could see the amount of joy and solace the participants derived from both the artistic activity as well as the community feeling. It is evident that activities like these are essential

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1. to diffuse tensions that naturally develop among people living in stressful conditions in very close quarters,

2. to provide creative outlets of expression, 3. to strengthen the individual and the community as a whole to handle the

fear and trauma of the earthquake and the displacement after it. So what kind of artistic activity would serve these needs in an easily accessible and cost-effective manner? In my opinion, the Maina could form part of the solution for the following reasons:

1. It still forms part of the collective consciousness, though losing ground. Its revival could bring a lot of comfort in the performance of a social ritual that has meaning on both a conscious and sub-conscious level.

2. It is a social art form that can be done by both men and women. It is not gender exclusive. Neither is it exclusive to one class, community, age group or religion, since children and adults of all communities take part in it.

3. It would definitely help build community feeling as well as pride in their heritage.

4. It has a creative side too. An important part of trauma healing is the creative expression of the experience, the fear, which is relived from a safe distance. Many of the songs of the Maina are recently composed. The Sunday School of the Gereja Christian Baithany dances the Maina to a song about Jesus. One can follow their example and create songs on any theme and dance the Maina to it, as long as the rhythm is correct. So if each group pools their experience of the earthquake and creates a song, they can sing and dance their experience and it becomes a part of their tradition. Their feeling, fears, hopes are legitimized and shared with the rest of the community. It can also be used to pass the memories of this experience to the next generation in the years to come. Or songs could be composed that disseminate information on what to do in the event of an earthquake. It could educational as well as therapeutic, all couched in the structured comfort of a well-known tradition.

In the next phase of the project, selected communities can begin composing their own Mainas, singing their experiences and dancing it. It could culminate in a performance of all the different Mainas which would also create a rare opportunity for the different communities, that are fairly polarised, to meet and share their experiences. This strategy would serve the needs of the project as originally conceived. The second strategy is to only take it further. Strategy 2 How does one implement the project organically, so that the performance is not a ‘one-off’ situation, done once, and then forgotten? -If an art form has to live again,

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it must regain a contemporary social function. It must play a role in some regular community activity so that it re-enters the conscious of the people and carries some meaning for them. It is very clear that the root of identity in Nias is religion. It is also evident that there can be no one method to introduce the traditional arts back in the different communities. A variety of strategies must be developed for the effective revival of the arts within each community and then work to have cross-pollination.

1. Introduce traditional instruments in churches: If one could equip a few churches with some traditional instruments and hire local artists to teach the children and adults to perform, then it would mean that every Sunday and sometimes even more often, people would listen to this music of their own tradition [whether they wanted to or not]. They could even compose songs of devotion in the traditional mould. This way the ear is slowly attuned to finding pleasure and significance in this music and people identify with it. This idea has been discussed with several pastors and some have agreed to try it in their churches if we help them implement it.

2. Introduce the same concept in the traditional Islamic schools but as tools of education. The same instruments can be used in language classes [learning poetry of their own language] or it can be used to read the Koran. Again, I have spoken to several people in the mosque and school and they are willing to give it a try.

3. This strategy concerns music more than dance. There is a very real danger that these sounds will cease to resonate in the minds of people. Even the music for traditional dance and traditional songs has been taken over by the keyboards and drums. This kind of project will help people identify with these instruments once more as well as give them solace and a release from their fears.

Comments: I would like to state some miscellaneous facts, incidents and random events that fall in no particular category but might be of use in the implementation of a project in the future.

1. The workshops elicited many surprising reactions. As one can see in the interviews, there are quite a few people who thought that the earthquake was actually a good thing. It put Nias on the map, so to speak. The people of Nias feel marginalized, that Indonesia does not really pay them any attention. Some feel that this is because Nias is predominantly Christian in a predominantly Muslim nation. Some feel this is simply due to corruption and lazy governance. But after the earthquake, there has been an influx of interest, aid and job opportunities, both from the international community as

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well as the Indonesian government. Many feel that their prospects for the future have improved or will improve.

2. While it is clear and even commendable that religion and religious institutions play a very important role in the physical and psychological security of the people, what is disturbing is that the access to aid and the structure of distribution of aid is also broken up according to religion. The Christian communities are helped by Christian organizations and NGOs and the Muslim communities are helped by Muslim NGOs and political parties. The Chinese community has their own network of aid from the Mainland Chinese.

3. The curious incident of singing the special Maina in Bahasa Indonesia in the refugee camp for Muslims in Gunung Sitoli bears reflection on the status of Bahasa Nias and regional languages in Indonesia. It appeared as if Bahasa Indonesian made the Maina more legitimate or worthy artistically though the participants did not identify with it and indeed many could not even speak Bahasa Indonesia well. This could be a sign of how much Bahasa Indonesia is considered the language of the elite. This is inevitable considering that knowledge of Bahasa Indonesia means one has access to education, one can get better jobs and so on. This also means that many oral traditions are under threat, since their very existence depends on local languages that are losing value and status to the insidious hegemony of Bahasa Indonesia, a 20th century creation. This problem cannot be overstated: for example, schools and government institutions for the arts are the places in Indonesia that sustain the arts. This is where the traditional art forms are taught and preserved. But the medium of instruction is Bahasa Indonesia. Moreover the teachers have to be individuals who have passed the required examinations and possess the necessary qualifications. But many art practitioners are not educated within the government system or even speak Bahasa Indonesia. They are therefore marginalized and only those that have access - interpret that as monetary means - to education and the language of Bahasa Indonesia can actually pass on the traditions. The old gurus who are repositories of tradition but are not ‘educated’ have no way of passing on their art. Thus the best teachers have no place in educational institutions, a curious anomaly. This is not always true, but often enough to deal potentially fatal blows to many traditional art forms that have not made the successful conversion to Bahasa Indonesia.

4. The fact that none of the women in the Muslim refugee camp wore head scarves, and the earlier observation among the girls of the Islamic school, is not a prejudice against the practice of wearing headscarves but an interesting observation of the body language that accompanies a certain form of dress and a way of being. These observations are important when one is working with the body to release stress. One must work in harmony with different ways of being and self-perception, not against. What was interesting was that some of the participants of the Muslim camp also came from the same area as the children from Islamic school. But maybe, being from a very low economic group, they do not have the time or luxury to wear the headscarves. Also being poor, the women also work at very physical jobs

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and thus it is possible that their bodies are more accustomed to freer and different kinds of movement.

5. There were many advantages and disadvantages to being a foreigner. As a stranger I could break rules and cultural taboos very easily. Seeing that I was not very fluent in Bahasa Indonesia and totally ignorant of Bahasa Nias made the participants verbal responses very focused. They said what they wished to express in very few, simple, direct words, coming to the heart of the matter very quickly. Thus the language barrier had its advantages apart from the obvious disadvantages. An interpreter helped surmount many of the language problems.

6. Being Hindu aided enormously in making sure that I was not perceived as aligned with any of the communities. It helped me retain a neutral aspect among the different groups though there were many attempts to urge me to convert among the Christian groups.

7. India to them is not a land of an ancient and diverse culture, but the land of Bollywood. Bollywood songs and dances were the mainstay of the workshops, the candy to lure the participants. Songs of love and seduction were the most in demand. Several groups requested Bollywood choreographies to songs on Jesus.

8. Most importantly, it is very obvious that the earthquake should signal a return to traditional architecture. There were very few deaths in the traditional villages and the most deaths and destruction were in the built up cities of Gunung Sitoli and Tuluk Dalam. In several areas people successfully fled from their houses but were caught in a death trap outside, in narrow streets, where the houses are too closely built and practically overhang the street forming a closed corridor. As they rushed to flee the area, many died crushed under the houses that fell in on them or in stampedes to escape these narrow death traps. Traditional architecture would reduce significantly the risk to human life especially since this area of Indonesia is predicted to suffer several more earthquakes in the next decade since the tectonic plates are unstable. But sadly most of the new construction one sees in Gunung Sitoli follows the old pattern of concrete, many storied houses. This is not relevant to this project that concentrates on the performing art tradition, but I would like to bring to notice the pressing need for architects to work in this region to revive the traditional style of building.

9. There were several posters put up all over the city advising people on what to do in the event of an earthquake. These posters had cartoons on them, to visually illustrate the salient points. But unfortunately the cartoon humans were very definitely Caucasian; the cow on the poster was a fat black and white Swiss cow, bearing no resemblance to the Indonesian bovine. A local person reading this poster would not really identify himself with the characters, defeating the purpose of the cartoons entirely.

10. Each community has exhibited very different ways of handling their trauma and emotional insecurity. One of the questions asked as part of the project, across the different communities was: How do you handle your fear? What do you do when you have nightmares or you relive the earthquake

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experience? The Christian response was: ‘I pray.’ The percentage of people responding in this manner was 100%. It was astonishing that in every different Christian community spoken to, every person gave the same answer. Whether they actually do or not, the automatic response to difficulty or a crisis is prayer. The Muslim responses were varied. They spoke of finding refuge in their families, in praying and in rebuilding their lives. The Chinese community was unswerving in its answer, which was in rebuilding their houses, their business and going on with their lives.

These are some random observations, efforts to understand the practices, perceptions, prejudices, taboos, beliefs of the people of Nias. I have been careful to mention wherever a theory is my personal construct based on what data was gathered. I would be the first to lament the insufficiency of data due to time constraints. All the observations and hypotheses above need to be studied more carefully. They are just pointers and each can lend itself to more profound research. They were made to aid better understanding of the different communities of Nias, as well as understanding the situation after the earthquake. I would welcome any comment or criticism of this report. Conclusion The two phases of the project are designed for specific purposes and address both long-term and immediate needs. The first phase of the project addresses the immediate need for healing through the arts. It would work on the creation of Mainas unique to the experiences of each community, singing their experiences of the earthquake and dancing it. This could culminate in a performance of all the different Mainas, creating a secular space for the different communities, which are fairly isolated, to meet and share their experiences. The other phase of the project involves devising a long term strategy that would reintroduce the traditional art forms into regular life, creating a space for it in common everyday activity. To achieve this, it is very important to note that religion is a key factor in the concept of identity, like in many other parts of Asia. The fact that religion plays such a central role in the lives of the people, makes it the logical vehicle to legitimize and propagate the traditional art forms, while creating a supportive environment to release stress. Religion lies in the philosophy and faith within people. The external practice of it can very easily include traditional art forms. If handled correctly it would not be offensive to the different religious beliefs. The important thing is to revive these forms, create new contexts, so that they could be used to help people over a long period of time. The communities are united around their churches, mosques or religious practices. It is evident that their strength lies not in state support but in the fact that the communities are very tightly knit. Their very survival depends on it. So cases like the divided refugee camp of the Gereja Christian Baithany are very dangerous. It

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weakens the individual and the community and can, very easily, lead to violence. The subliminal polarization of the different communities is also cause for anxiety. The project was initially designed to promote the cause of traditional art forms that are dying out and help create outlets for stress. But maybe it will also be useful in strengthening bonds within and increasing interaction between communities as has already been demonstrated in a very rudimentary manner through the initial workshops. Such a project can play varied roles on many levels: it can be a source of fun and act as a release from tension; help expression of fear, anger and other negative emotions; strengthen bonds within and between communities; provide for more work for art practitioners; create new contexts for dying and ‘fossilized’ art forms; enrich the non-verbal vocabulary of the body, combat homogenization of the ways of being; rejuvenate sounds, movements and gestures that have lost meaning and relevance for the younger generation. Most importantly it will be self-supporting and cost-effective after the initial investment.

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UNESCO Post-Tsunami Rehabilitation Programme Using

traditional Performing Arts and Musical Expressions in the South and South-East Asian Sub-Region

Implementation Report Thailand

by Patravadi Mejudhon

Director, Patravadi Theatre patravadi@patravaditheatre.com

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Background In Thailand, the UNESCO Post-Tsunami Rehabilitation Programme Using traditional Performing Arts and Musical Expressions in the South and South-East Asian Sub-Region was cooperation between UNESCO, Patravadi Theatre, Cultural Ministry of Thailand and Sikkha Asia Foundation. Patravadi Theatre is responsible for performing arts workshop which follows the UNESCO policy in ‘using indigenous performing arts and musical expressions provides a culturally appreciate approach to stress management and therefore represents an immediate form of socio-cultural rebuilding’. The project duration is March- June 2006 and targeted to children who have been affected by Tsunami at Pangnga Province, in the South of Thailand. Workshops conditions Patravadi Theatre's team has operated the performing arts workshop with Baan Nai Rai School’s students at Natoey, Taimueng District Pangnga Province, Thailand. The workshop is separated into 3 sessions, 3-4 days per session to develop the participants’ performing arts aptitude, interpersonal skills and creativity. There was a production after this training as a final product. The workshop curriculums could be clarified as: 1st Session (5th-8th March 2006): Introduction

- getting to know each other - Instructors observation for organizing the suitable workshop - ‘Ice breaking’ relaxation with games and breathing techniques - Checking body movement and voice skills

2nd Session (18th-22nd May 2006): Skills Development

- Reviewing the first session - Performing exercises focus on imagination, rhythm and body

movement techniques - Stimulating an awareness of local arts and culture - Performers’ discipline - Diction for proper speaking in both Thai and English - Preparation for the final performance

3rd Session (27th -30th June 2006): Polishing the final performance

- Reviewing the second session - Polishing the final performance (using more English in the performance

and adding some more performance techniques to complete the final performance)

- Fitting - Final performance

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Instructors Ms. Patravadi Mejudhon is an awards winning actress, director, playwright and performing arts teacher who has significant role in Thailand arts scene for more than 30 years. She is the founder of Patravadi Theatre, a contemporary Thai theatre which has a continuing mission to open the doors of the performing arts to a new generation, from a basic level to highly skilled professionals. Ms. Patravadi is a pioneer who uses performing arts method to express Buddhism philosophy to the public by presenting the Buddhist Bible through plays. Mr. Manop Meejamrat is a well-known dancer, choreographer and director who has worked with Patravadi Theatre for more than 10 years. He has received many scholarships to study both Asian and Western dance styles such as Thai classical dance, Japanese Butoh, and Modern Dance. Mr. Manop has won the best contemporary performer in the year 2005 from the Ministry of Culture, Thailand. At this moment, he is the director of Suan Silp Ban Din, Patravadi Theatre Ratchburi Branch, which is a part of Patravadi Theatre local arts centers project. Ms. Ruth Sheard is an artist in Patravadi Theatre Artist in Residency Project. She trained at The Harris Institute at the University of Central Lancashire, England and earned a 2:1 degree in Contemporary Performing Arts, specializing in Theatre and Dance. Early 2005, she toured her solo performance in India. Ms. Ruth has contributed her theatrical skills to this project as a part of her residency tasks.

The participants The workshop participants are 50 primary students both boys and girls from Baan Nai Rai School. They are age between 8-12 years old. All of them are Muslim. The students came from families in local area which mostly relies on fishing, Batik painting and agriculture professions. They were shy at the first workshop; however, most of them come to classes with bright eyes eager to learn. Then they were developing their interpersonal skills along side with performing talent. Furthermore, Baan Nai Rai School’s teachers were a part of the workshop participants too. The Patravadi Theatre team had coaching them how to use performing arts techniques in teaching general school subjects such as English and mathematic. There were 3 teachers who intentionally contributed themselves to the workshops and

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The audiences

Most of the audiences are the students’ parents who living in the area. Although they are rather quiet, some of the parents (around 12-15) have come to observe the workshops every time. Moreover, even though there was heavy rain at the last performance, the parents and some of community members came to watch the students’ performance.

Workshop analysis

The first workshop The theatre team arrived at Baan Nai Rai School for the first time and noticed that the school was newly built because of the destruction during Tsunami. Many buildings have not finished yet. Then, the theatre team had a discussion with the school principal and teachers about the situation of arts and cultural activities in this area. The school team gave the information that there are no teachers in this area to teach arts and music. Moreover, most of the cultural projects which took place before are short term projects which supported the teachers to teach for only few days. There was no continuation to develop further skills. However, he teachers were very helpful and eager to learn with the children. From this information, Patravadi Theatre team created the lesson which combined performing arts and other subjects such as languages together to create the workshop that participants could develop both creativity and interpersonal skills.

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At the beginning of the workshops, the students were excited but rather shy. They were lack of self-confidence which affected the class that they did not want to express their creativity. The students could not concentrate well with the lessons; they were pushing, hitting, telling others what to do and talkative among themselves. Therefore, the instructors started the workshop with games and breathing exercise for relaxation. The instructors noticed that the participants have an inflexible body and could not sing in tune.

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After a while, the students had more concentration. There were less talking during the class and more focus on the workshop direction. The students learnt about discipline and paid more participation to the class. Then, they started developing their creative thinking skill through the workshop process. The first session ended up with the homework from the theatre team to the children to make performance props and musical instruments by using materials they can easily found in the community.

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The second workshop The students had much better concentration this time. Some of them expressed their feeling to the theatre team that normally they do not like coming to school, but they are very eager to participate in this activity. There were some participants who had shown that they are very talented. The workshop had move on to another level by focusing on developing the students’ performing arts skills for example body movement and articulation. The workshop instructors also stimulated children and community to contribute indigenous knowledge such as fishing and boat rowing skills integrated in the performances. Children could create movements which based on fishing gestures and custom.

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The Patravadi theatre team used the theatrical knowledge to explain the children about the meaning and philosophy behind their folk performance ‘Rong-Ngeng’ (Southern style classical dance.) This information made the children had more understanding of their own culture. Then, the instructors and participants were working together to create the last performance.

Additionally, the participants admitted that they would like to continue doing arts activities to develop more skills .It is a pity that there are no local teachers to support them after this project has ended. The second session ended up with asking the participants to keep practicing their skills and preparing for the last performance.

The third workshop

At this time, the theatre team had prepared a song which based on the famous traditional southern song ‘Binka’ for the final performance. The children had more discipline and concentration and able to work in unity. They were better in making their own decisions. Best of all, they were very lively. This time, the workshop direction was polishing the final performance by using all skills that the group had learnt.

At first, they were planning to perform at the beach but it was raining all day. Thus, they had to move to perform in the school hall which is pretty small. However, the children, teachers and audiences were enjoying themselves very much. The teachers were very proud of the student progression. The school head master remarked that the children are more creative and more organized.

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Recommendation This workshop could fulfill the purpose which is using performing arts and musical expressions to open up the participants’ heart and mind, discovering their own physical and mental abilities, and able to express with words and body, could concentrate more, daring to create and daring to make their own decisions. The participants and community has shown that they are willing to learn and have more arts and culture activities. This project was an inspiration for the children to start their own arts projects. The theatre team hoped that the teachers will continue teaching English and other subjects with performing arts techniques. Thus, they will keep practicing their skills and the students will enjoy learning the serious subjects. However, there should be more sustainable projects which continuing in a long term approach. For example, workshops which take place once a month for an entire year for steady and enduring development. There should be a development on local teachers’ skills too. Accordingly, they will have knowledge and skills to carry on such activities themselves and broaden the knowledge to the community.

Office of the UNESCO Regional Advisor for Culture in Asia and the Pacific Bangkok 10110, THAILAND Phone +66 (0) 2 391 0577 ext. 513 Fax +66 (0) 2 391 0866 E-mail culture@unescobkk.org Web www.unescobkk.org/culture