Students at the Kigali Institute of Education in Kigali, Rwanda have learned to use theater as a teaching tool. The future educators studying at KIE participated in a three-week unit in creative performance led by visiting master’s students in theater from the City University of New York (CUNY).
The collaboration between CUNY and KIE is a tradition in its third year. This year 65 KIE students learned drama techniques and explored how theater can be used to educate audiences, and even reconcile and resolve conflicts.
Lambert Nshyaka is a KIE student who plans to use the techniques he learned to help his future students better understand their lessons.
“Theater has opened my mind to critical thinking and has developed my way of communicating a message in a clear, interesting, and understandable way to my audience,” he said.
The KIE participants worked with the CUNY students to develop a play based on issues their future students may face in the classroom and in their community. At the end of the three weeks they performed the play, which explored topics like societal unity, drug abuse, youth life, and health education.The play was carefully crafted in order not to give the audience answers, but to provoke thought and encourage them to come up with solutions of their own.
Leon Mugisha, one of the CUNY-KIE program’s coordinators, explained that theater is becoming more widely known as an effective teaching tool. He said that the goal of the program was for the KIE students “to see the different ways of educating their students and the public.”
Mr. Mugisha noted that developing a stronger theater culture in Rwanda could even create jobs for Rwandan youth in the future, and encourage them to use their talents creatively and become entrepreneurs.
Creative Commons Love: Per Mosseby on Flickr.com
