POWER OF PUPPETRY
Location: Rampur, Assam - India - Asia
In August 2008, 14 young actors in Northeast India received an intensive training from puppetry teacher Evelien Pullens. In October, she travelled back to partner organization Badungduppa to visit the participants of this project in their own village, where they developed new ideas and puppets.
Some applied themselves to making their own puppets dressed in the traditional clothing of their tribe; others formed a group to which they gave lessons. Because there is much poverty and political tension in this area, the people are careful and want the youth to find good jobs rather than become an artist. But good jobs are hard to find! This confuses the youth and makes them insecure. Culture is a good way to offer a counterbalance to the tensions that exist there.
Evelien: "It was fantastic to visit all those remote places and villages where cooking is done on firewood and water comes out of the well. My students live in small houses and make their puppets in the yard or give puppet show lessons in a room in the village school. We also showed others in the villages how interesting this kind of puppetry is. The villagers enjoyed the small performances that we put on. They laughed at the jokes and, quickly current themes such as alcohol and "witches" were presented. Suddenly the people understood the value of the magical puppets."
Short movie from the first week of workshops at Badungduppa
Click here for the weblog Evelien kept during her stay in India.
