Laphum’Ilanga Theatre Project

This project uses participatory arts methodologies to communicate women's stories about rape and HIV in an effort to bring hope and inspiration to other women who are going through similar experiences. The idea is that, by creating safe spaces in which women can share their stories of being raped or of discovering they are HIV-positive, a process of transformation and healing can begin for others.

In 2006, Mothertongue piloted an arts-based project that focused on the role of gender-specific violence in HIV transmission (and vice versa) in Khayelitsha. Using participatory arts methodologies to explore the above, Mothertongue:

• conducted a community contact and stakeholders validation exercise;
• trained a pilot group of twenty-eight women in participatory theatre methods;
• conducted twenty outreach performances over a three-month period; and
• subsequently held radio inserts and outreach performances during 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence.

According to Mothertongue, the space provided in the workshop setting was designed to allow the women to share deeply personal stories of violation and abuse. Participants applied community art forms in what was described as a collective, creative process that drew from the traditional "insomi" storytelling among the Xhosa. The outreach pieces that emerged served as the basis of interactive community performances that involved women and girls voicing their concerns, desires, and fears around HIV/AIDS and gender-specific violence. Mothertongue stresses that, in South Africa, the issue of HIV/AIDS cannot be looked at without focusing on access to antiretrovirals (ARVs) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), so the project also included stories around access and lack of access to these treatments.

Mothertongue conducted a monitoring and evaluation exercise in August and October 2006 that highlighted:

• the need for alternative approaches to counselling methods currently employed;
• that the outreach work had been useful to the organisations where the pilot group came from; and
• the work contributed to raising the visibility of the issues.

Over 2007 and 2008, Mothertongue worked to develop a series of experiential trainings using arts therapies. According to them, this training series was designed for counsellors practicing within community-based organisations in Khayelitsha, and included a monitoring programme to help provide technical support post training.

Gender, Women, HIV/AIDS.

Mothertongue indicates that a counsellor at a local rape clinic reported an increase in the number of people seeking help, because of the performances they watched.


Founded in 2000, Mothertongue employs a participatory and integrated arts approach, that combines the principles of storytelling, physical theatre, visual arts, creative writing, ritual and sound.