Applied Theatre, Applied Cinema, and Community Engagement for Climate Action in Cameroon

Abstract

Both applied theatre and applied cinema start by identifying a social issue in the community, organising a brainstorming/training workshop with community members and leaders, and then developing a script based on the salient, solution-oriented issues highlighted during the workshop. While applied theatre ends with a community performance created by, and featuring community members, applied cinema ends with a community film, also featuring community members. The participation of community members in the workshop, scripting, production, and performance processes is essential, as it helps the activity transcend from a mere event in the community to a collective community experience that lingers in the community's consciousness for a long time.

Over the past three decades, environmental issues have preoccupied applied theatre/cinema practitioners in Cameroon, with several projects yielding excellent results as evidenced by the projects analysed . This paper examines two Cinema for Development (CfD) projects - Alien in my Land (Butake & Doho, 2000) and Bush Meat go Finish (Butake, 2004), and one Theatre for Development (TfD) project- Combating the Monster (Fai, 2012). The objective is to highlight processes used, key environmental issues tackled, and the level of awareness raised; in an effort to highlight the contributions of applied drama to the fight against climate change and environmental disasters in Cameroon.