Theatre group assumes role in protecting rights of IDPs

An association of theatre groups in Burundi has developed innovative ways of sensitising internally displaced persons (IDPs) about their rights. The latest issue of Forced Migration Review, published by the Refugee Studies Centre and the Norwegian Refugee Council, details how the association, known as Tubiyage, stages plays in IDP camps to tell the people about their rights. Tubiyage, comprising seven theatre groups, assists the international community in disseminating the UN Guiding Principles for IDPs by using "art, participatory education and ‘tradition’". The review focuses on a training course conducted recently by the council to help actors advocate the protection of IDPs' rights more effectively. Burundi's civil war has claimed the lives of about 250,000 people since 1993, and led to the displacement of 500,000, according to the council. "The displaced are especially vulnerable. Grave violations, such as rape and torture, have been widely reported during displacement," according to the review. Full report