community
Elevating African Stories & Knowledge in the International Human Rights & Ecological Justice Discourse
WATA the Play is supported by the future of rights & governance (FORGE) Program at the center for human rights & Global Justice, NYU SChool of Law.
As part of the FORGE experimentation process, Maïmouna Jallow is developing the play WATA and an accompanying educational toolkit. Many artists hope their work will wield social impact. However, how this impact manifests is frequently determined post-creation. Can integrating perspectives from academics, activists, and educators during the creative process enhance the efficacy of art as a catalyst for on-the-ground change? This play believes so. To ensure that WATA’s content is strongly informed by practitioners in human rights, environmental science, and indigenous education, the FORGE program is supporting WATA’s dramaturgy process, including the development and peer review of the script, and the accompanying educational materials.
They will also have access to an educational toolkit to support learning key themes from the play. The aim is to challenge paternalistic and racist misrepresentations of history, using creative expression as a tool to promote values of courage, unity, and self-love. The educational toolkit will support students to lead local community actions around memory, identity, human rights, and environmental stewardship. Finally, we will build connections between the participating schools, both within Africa and across the seas, to be a tool for young people to engage in trans-cultural public dialogues around critical issues facing us today.
We are open to new partnerships! Contact us at wata.the.play@gmail.com