Interning with Association Djarama and Tof Théâtre

In a seven-seat taxi on the way to rehearsal. Back L-R: Astou, Abdoulaye, and Zeynabou. Middle L-R: Nicolas, me, Sandrine, and Sandrine's daughter, Jade. Alain and our driver Abdoulaye were up front!

Astou rehearses with the Mame Boye puppet, a character she originated with Djarama and Tof Théâtre.

Mame Boye before the show.

Running the sound board from the wings.

Hello my loyal readers- we are now midway through March and two months away from the end of my Dietrich fellowship! Time flies when you’re eating rice and fish.
 
Having arrived in Senegal in early February, I interrupted my city girl lifestyle in Dakar to intern with Association Djarama in Toubab Dialaw.
 
Founded by Mamby Mawine, Djarama runs artistic, environmental, and educational programs promoting self-sufficiency among Senegalese youth. Djarama is building a theatre for youth network from the ground up in Senegal, booking shows by international artists and producing its own original work.
 
On its two sites, Djarama accommodates a never-ending stream of visitors and volunteers. I joined a group of French civil service volunteers, an Ivorian sports education intern, and current and former employees in Djarama’s dormitories.
 
Soon, a group of artists from Belgium’s Tof Théâtre arrived. Artistic director Alain Moreau is a longtime collaborator. Alain and his fellow artists Sandrine and Nicolas had already worked with Astou, a member of Djarama's Yakaar program, which trains youth from disadvantaged backgrounds in the performing arts. Astou had traveled to Belgium to develop a play about dental hygiene, which she performed with Sandrine in December. 
 
During their latest residency at Djarama, Tof trained a second member of Yakaar, Zeynabou, to replace Sandrine in the show. For ten days, Astou and Zeynabou rehearsed and expanded the  performance. Originally an observer, I ended up operating the sound board.  
 
I appreciated many aspects of the processs- the important role played by Senegalese women Mamby, Astou, and Zeynabou, Alain’s yearslong dedication to meaningful collaboration and material support of Djarama’s mission, the rigor the artists demonstrated in their attention to detail, and the irreverent puppetry style.
 
I was joined by another intern, Abdoulaye, an actor from Casamance, a culturally distinct region of Senegal. Abdoulaye had received a grant to learn about puppetry so that he could create his own puppet show warning of the dangers of land mines.
 
In conversations with Abdoulaye and others, I observed the centrality of “sensibilisation” (raising awareness) in the Senegalese conception of theatre for young audiences. Though Tof Théâtre doesn’t usually produce educational work, Djarama insisted on a pedagogical message in their coproduction- hence the toothbrushing storyline.
 
As a teacher and playmaker, I was interested both in the educational focus of the work and the methods being used to train and direct Astou and Zeynabou as young performers. Reflecting on my recent experience in clown school, I am thinking a lot about artistry, efficacy, rigor, and the role of positive vs. negative feedback.
 
The final showing of the play was a success, and I am now back in Dakar after two weeks of puppetry and sharing a shower with a particularly fat mouse. Ramadan is well underway, and our generous Airbnb host has already invited Matt and I over for ndougou (the Wolof word for breaking the fast).
 
I have three more weeks to enjoy Senegal before moving on to the final stops of my journey- Turkey and Mongolia!

This mouse lived in my shower in Toubab Dialaw and I was not chill about it.