As part of our work to engage all parts of society to take action against sexual harassment, we have partnered up with El Pergola Puppet Theatre to create an interactive street theatre that is using marionettes to engage by-passers to discuss experiences, perceptions, and reactions to sexual harassment in a creative and informative way.
On October 29, our team took the show, called Maysahesh Keda, (“this is not ok”) to Beni Suef for the first time. The theatre is based on the idea that while the HarassMap-Pergola team kick off the story, the theatre audience can intervene in it at any time, adding their experiences and opinions by using the marionette dolls/puppets, or even changing the story all together – opening up for exchange of ideas and tactics for reacting and standing up to sexual harassment.
The show took place in one of the largest public gardens in central Beni Suef city. It was packed with participants, young and old, telling stories and discussing types of sexual harassment, possible causes, and how to take action against this crime using ways of legal action. For example, one young participant, 10 years old, who took to the stage talking about how he does not see women’s clothes as a cause for sexual harassment, saying, “A respectable person will not harass, regardless of what a woman is wearing”.
Throughout the event, HarassMap volunteers were also interacting with the audience by sharing our information material and samples of awareness campaigns.
The event took place in partnership with the General Authority for Cultural Palaces Beni Suef branch.
October 29, 2016