How ‘Gangavazi‘ gives communities the opportunity to build resilience through the telling of their own stories

This case study describes 'Gangavazi', a forum theatre project developed by the University of Exeter and the NGO S.A.F.E. for communities on the south coast of Kenya. The project combines scientific knowledge with participatory art to help local populations identify climate-related vulnerabilities and devise their own resilience strategies based on lived experience.

• The 'Gangavazi' project uses Forum Theatre, a participatory technique where audiences intervene in a play to change the outcome, to help communities on the south coast of Kenya develop resilience strategies for extreme weather. The play is based on actual experiences shared by villagers during research conducted by the theatre team SAFE Pwani prior to the production.
• Community members highlighted that resilience requires social cohesion and capacity building, such as keeping girls in school, rather than solely focusing on physical solutions like coastal defences. Other identified vulnerabilities include the threat of disease from plastic and other waste in villages, and the risk of youth crime and drug abuse if traditional fishing and farming livelihoods fail.
• Local communities have begun implementing their own resilience activities, including mangrove planting initiatives that have led to the reappearance of fish species previously feared to be extinct. However, these community-led projects are not yet self-sustainable and require further support to translate ideas into long-term practical actions.

APA

Global Resilience Partnership (2019). How ‘Gangavazi‘ gives communities the opportunity to build resilience through the telling of their own stories. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/linking-science-and-theatre-to-empower-communities/

Chicago

Global Resilience Partnership. How ‘Gangavazi‘ gives communities the opportunity to build resilience through the telling of their own stories. 2019. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/linking-science-and-theatre-to-empower-communities/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Resilience Partnership |title=How ‘Gangavazi‘ gives communities the opportunity to build resilience through the telling of their own stories |date=3 July 2019 |url=https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/linking-science-and-theatre-to-empower-communities/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalresiliencepartnership2019how, author = {{Global Resilience Partnership}}, title = {{How ‘Gangavazi‘ gives communities the opportunity to build resilience through the telling of their own stories}}, institution = {Global Resilience Partnership}, year = {2019}, month = jul, url = {https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/linking-science-and-theatre-to-empower-communities/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }