Performing Elections with Navina Jafa and Street Performers

Dr Navina Jafa – cultural technocrat consultant & dancer

Election Commission of India in 2019, under its voter education and outreach programme SVEEP (Systematic Voters' Education & Electoral Participation) commissioned Dr Navina Jafa, vice president of the Centre for New Perspectives a non-profit organisation, to execute an innovative programme with local street performers, to bridge the gender gap in electoral participation The turnout of the registered women voters lagged behind the male turn out.

Travelling in a jeep locally called Toofaan - storm with the 15 street performers across 56 villages in Rajasthan in three districts of Dausa, Sawai Madhopur, and Karauli Jafa and her team executed more than 75 performances.

The performances filled with entertainment, wit and humour were interactive. Under Jafa's direction the bahurupiyas led by Shamshad Khan Bahurupiya incorporated acrobats led by master acrobat Shiv Ram Raj Nat, and a cross-dresser dancer. The ‘play' directed by Anil Marwari from Jaipur was open and factored interaction between audiences and the actor. The objective was to educate and motivate the voters and allow the audiences to express their disappointments and happiness related to governance.

Jafa's colleague, Shailaja Kathuria and Jafa herself conducted surveys among the audiences to ensure that the Election Commission will acquire detailed data on voters' behaviour and why women should not vote. The surveys revealed that the main reason for the disconnect and rural apathy was anger against all governments who failed to address their water supply problem.

The lively performances at bus stands, under trees, beside village wells, and courtyards of village community centres had audiences crowding all around and enthusiastically interacting with the actors and responding to surveys. On one occasion, in a village in Dausa district, one of the Bahurupiyas impersonators, Farid dressed as Gabbar Singh the famous bandit character from the Bollywood superhit film Sholay pointed his air-gun at the dummy of an EVM machine and pressed a button leading to the release of several air balloons. On another occasion, the cross dresser folk dancer performed with waterpots on the head and expressed the disappointments of the village women to which the women cheered and added their dialogues to the performance.

Navina Jafa, who developed a unique model on power of performing arts for development communication as a Feldman Scholar at the Heller School of International Sustainable Development, expressed, "folk and street performers are the traditional media. Each aspect of their performance, the characters and their language belonged to the world of the audience. The surveys and interactive modality in the performances provided the audiences hope for change and empowering democratic processes!"

The three districts that witnessed this unique voter education awareness programme saw a marginal increase of 2 % turnout of the registered women voters.