“The jury was impressed by Rupantar’s creative approach of using cultural performances to address sensitive social issues. Rupantar is truly working at the grassroots – mobilizing the most vulnerable in Bangladesh, including women and youth – to help build a vibrant democracy.”

                                                                                                                              – Joe Clark, former Prime Minister of Canada and Chair of the Global Pluralism Award Jury.

In 1995 Rupantar launched popular media and folk theatre program by reviving folk and cultural heritage. Through this program the organization’s first field activities commenced in Khulna and Bagerhat districts. Rupantar, as a pioneer has been working for restoring and cultural heritage by observing the traditional medium of popular methods, once that was practiced by the traditional healers among the less educated. This was controlled by groups that oppressed women and suppressed human rights. Now, Rupantar’ is the largest awareness and social mobilization organization in Bangladesh performing cultural activities mainly theaters and popular folk music to address pressing social issues. The program carries out interactive communication through stage performances with target audience.

The connection between culture and development works at least in three ways Rupantar. First, cultural diversity can be used as a national asset for developing the tourism industry. It is essential to restore and preserve heritage, various traditions, folk songs, dances, dramas, theatre and more. Second, culture can be used as a means of awareness building among people, especially among disadvantage people through theater, folk songs and other indigenous forms and Third, culture can be used to counter the negative forces or impacts that prevail as social customs, norms and beliefs.

AIM : The program aims to connect culture and development for communicating social messages to masses.

OBJECTIVE : We use cultural platform to disseminate various social issues to enable the grassroots people to access to information and claim their rights.

FOCUS :The program focuses on grassroots theatre approach for development called development communication in short Dev Com method. Dev Com method depicts community life, cultural, beliefs, and attitudes with development pressing issues related to child marriage, domestic violence, sexual harassments, community learning, violence against women, human rights and more within a cultural framework.

PROCESS : The process of performances starts with location selection then disseminating social messages performance through advertisement. Social messages and performances depends on communities’ demand on folk forms. The interaction with audiences are carried out through quiz competition, award and leaflet distribution. At the end of each performance, feedback is taken on the learning’s from performances of a social messages.

STRATEGIC APPROACHES:

• We address need based communication
• We make clarify the ideas before communication
• We examine the purpose of each communication
• We bring into account the access, mindfulness on the local context and issues during communication
• We are inclusive and encourage collective and target group participation
• We strive to use credible actors and action
• Identifying potential barriers

HIGHLIGHTS:

Since 1996 till 2023

• 200 Potsong productions were carried out were produced with 11,383 performances
• We have reached 11,290,857 audiences through Potsong performance
• 106 drama production were carried out, with 11,155 performances
• We have reached 11,196,502 audiences with our dramas

Our current project