Swedish Performing Arts for an International Audie
nce 2016 1
TEATER DE VILL The Maasai people have a long trad
ition of oral storytelling. One summer’s night, a group of Maasai and Swedes are sitting together around an open fire. It’s pitch-dark, and the sounds of night envelop them. The Maasai are telling stories. The men’s stories are about fighting, daring pranks, and exciting lion hunts. The women’s stories have darker undertones. There is one about a daughter begging her father not to marry her off. Another about a girl who will never be treated like an adult because she has not been circumcised. This night gives rise to the idea of using these women’s stories to bolster the efforts to bring about change in the region. Cut the Cuts is a theatrical production based on stories told by women and girls about their experiences of genital mutilation and women’s rights. The stories are interspersed with dance, music, dramatization, and humour. The actors are young Maasai women who have fled genital mutilation and child marriage. Girls who stood up for their right to shape their own lives and go to school. The production portrays them as role models, while also providing Swedish youth with an insight into Maasai culture and history. Cut the Cuts is a joint production with local agents of change that have been promoting women’s and human rights in the region for many years. Robert Jelinek | info@teaterdevill.com | www.teaterdevill.com Photo: Emma Janke.