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Friday, Oct 27, 2006
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Of art as an expression of struggle

Staff Reporter

"To live is to fight and one has to be radical in everything in life"

Kolkata: Acting is an expression of visions and ideals and so one cannot differentiate between acting and activism, said social activist Medha Patkar.

"Art seems distant when we are bogged down by activism but we must remember that there is art in every expression of struggle," she said after inaugurating the Forum Theatre Festival, Muktadhara II, organised by Jana Sanskriti here on Thursday.

Augusto Boal, founder of the Forum Theatre and the person who conceptualised the Theatre of the Oppressed where the oppressed are provided with the opportunity to speak, act and express their social and political will, was present.

Objective

"We are not really against the oppressor but we want to destroy the mechanism of oppression," he said, when asked about the objective of such a movement. "No one is supposed to take a lead and the idea is to initiate a dialogue."

A unique feature of this theatre is the relationship between actor and spectator. The spectator here becomes the `spect-actor', a term created by Mr. Boal. These `spect-actors' come on stage to debate and tackle a problem that, till then, had only evoked silence and acceptance.

`To be radical'

"To live is to fight and one has to be radical in everything in life," Mr. Boal said.

He cited the example of the landmark law against domestic violence in India, which came into effect on Thursday, as a progressive development against oppression.

"But one day, the law will not be necessary any more," he said.

The two-week-long Muktadhara II will showcase performances by teams from West Bengal, Delhi, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa as well as international teams from Pakistan, Palestine, Brazil, France and Austria.

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