Dramatic Learning Acting Troupe Educates Liberians About Legal Rights

In rural Liberia, in a cinder-block schoolhouse packed with men, women, and children from nearby villages, a small group acts out a story. A woman returns home from market to find that her neighbor's daughter is uncharacteristically grumpy and rude. The woman learns that her husband has raped this young girl. She reacts by feeling shamed and asks the girl to keep the secret.

Audience volunteers come forward to act in place of both characters, handling the situation as they see fit. After several turns, the actors agree on a solution to the problem: Take the matter to the police and refuse to handle such a serious criminal matter with private negotiation.

The purpose of the drama is to inform community members about the law and their rights. The Carter Center works with five community-based organizations in southeastern Liberia that perform these dramas. After enduring 14 years of civil war, most Liberians, especially in remote areas, have little knowledge of the formal justice system, new laws, and ways to seek justice.

The dramas may seem simple, but in most villages in the country, there are no televisions, few if any books, and only sporadic radio coverage, so watching people act out a story is very entertaining for community members. The dramas spark insight and emotion as women often react with glee or tears of joy to learn they have rights under the law.

"This is the first time that a group is going from town to town, from village to village, to educate people about common law practice and about the rights of people under the constitution," said Oscar Dolo, founder of the Modia Drama Club, one of the Carter Center-sponsored groups.

The Center, which is in Liberia at the request of the Liberia Ministry of Justice, has been closely involved with Liberia since 1991, assisting in peace processes and observing elections in 1997 and 2005.

In addition to small-grant support for five community-based organizations, other program activities include civic education, hosting community forums, and meetings with highlevel ministry officials to share community assessments of local justice needs. In addition, two Liberian lawyers supported by The Carter Center are filling critical staffing gaps within the Ministry of Justice and conducting trainings to help build the ministry's capacity.

As the villagers returned to their homes after the drama about the new rape law, they took with them an awareness of their rights that they can share with others and defend when necessary.

"The Carter Center is making a tremendous impact in the lives of average Liberians," Dolo said. "Peace and stability in Liberia are intertwined with the rule of law. When people disregard the rule of law, they have the potential to go back to violence. These programs give local villagers some hope and some inspiration that, indeed, light is at the end of the tunnel."

All Photos: Carter Center/C. Nelson

A village elder learns about her new rights from members of the Carter Center sponsored Modia Drama Club, an acting troupe that educates citizens in the country's most rural regions.

A drama club member acts out the process of "sassywood," or "trial by ordeal," a common practice in rural Liberia. The country has banned sasywood.

A woman from the village of Galai, Liberia, celebrates following a dramatic presentation on the country's new laws.

The Carter Center, at the invitation of Liberia's Ministry of Justice, is helping close the country's domestic violence gab through local education programs.