Putting global issues on centre 'stage'

‘Cyclewala' Akram Feroze interacts with the audience during the Metta International Festival at Kalina campus of Mumbai university. Pic/Sneha Kharabe

Theatre artistes all over the world have come together in an attempt to ‘dissolve' borders and establish liberty, equality, fraternity and justice at the Metta International Festival, hosted by the University of Mumbai at its Kalina campus.

Girish Ingle, President of the Parivartan Foundation (right) Hayk Sekoyan of the group ‘Theatre for Change' from Armenia

Breaking boundaries
Rwanda, Mozambique, the African Republic, Armenia, Nepal and Sri Lanka are the final participants. "The festival was planned over more than two years. A lot of effort has gone into it," said Girish Ingle, President of the Parivartan Foundation, Mumbai, one of the partners of the event.

"The reason this festival is called Metta, which in Balinese means friendship, is because we want to send out a message that we are one and love has no language or barrier."

"The response has been unbelievable. On the first day, when Sri Lanka performed on a topic about marriage, sex and love, the audience gave the team a standing ovation," Ingle said.

The Armenian group shared several commonalities with Indians, including the Indo-Pak rivalry. Hayk Sekoyan of the group ‘Theatre for Change' said, "In 1915, there was a genocide in our country. We have strained relations with a quite a few of our neighbours. What we share with them is quite similar to what Indians share with the Pakistanis."

Cyclewala naatak
Among the many groups was an Indian storyteller, famous as Cyclewala, who, through his ‘invisible theatres', has been travelling across the country, telling stories of war, identities, freedom and the need to fight authorities.

"The best way to communicate during times of resistance and intolerance is through theatre. The power of theatre lies in the fact that it can change minds. What I try to do is through absurdity create a dialogue among people. When people saw me travelling to cities, borders, telling stories, they wondered why I was doing it, what was the purpose… in the process, they learnt ‘what' I was trying to say and start a discussion," said Akram Feroze.