ADDRESSING ISSUES OF STRUCTURAL VIOLENCE AND UNMET BASIC NEEDS THROUGH THEATRE IN ODISHA, INDIA The work of the theatre group Natya Chetana Social Work Social Development 2012: Action and Impact 8-12 July 2012, Stockholm, Sweden Satu Ranta-Tyrkkö, Post-doctoral Fellow School of Social Sciences and Humanities University of Tampere, Finland

Content of the presentation Natya Chetana and Orissa in a nutshell Natya Chetana from social work and social justice perspective Based on PhD study At the Intersection of Theatre and Social Work in Orissa, India: Natya Chetana and Its Theatre, available electronically through (acta electonica universitatis Tamperensis 941); as a printed book through ( Ethnographic case study on Natya Chetana: What & how is Natya Chetana’s social work like? ─ A Finnish social work researcher and an Orissan theatre group (a team of 5-15 full time volunteers) Grounded on a combination of disciplines (social work; anthropology; South Asian, theatre, and postcolonial studies) Within social work deals with the discussions on social justice, international/ global social work, indigenous social work, interfaces of social work and art, political social work & attempts for a postcolonial reading of some of these discussions

India & Orissa IndiaOrissa Strong linguistic and cultural identity For long one of the poorest states of India Over 80 % rural Prone to natural catastrophes Rich in natural resources, particularly minerals (bauxite, iron, chrome…) Good economic growth during past two decades has not trickled down to poorer sections of the population

Natya Chetana An Orissan theatre group founded in 1986 Political/community/people's theatre on topical issues; influences from educative theatre and participatory methods Main forms of performance: Cyco (cycling tours to poor rural audiences) and Intimate theatre (longer plays for middle-class urban audiences), altogether circa 70 plays so far Funding mostly based on intermittent project- based development cooperation funding, small arts scholarships, income from trainings and tickets Central themes: structural violence, unmet basic needs Aim: ”To disturb the minds of the audiences”, no ready-made solutions Locally Natya Chetana’s theatre work conceived as a form of voluntary social work

Natya Chetana’ role in social change

Natya Chetana’s social work Both indigenous (voluntarist, political) social work, and socially committed theatre, social work as the guiding ideology Critical political theatre and social work! Connecting themes & angles e.g. with critical, constructive, eco-social and political social work & with social pedagogy and social animation Food for thought in relation to wider social work discussions: Volunteerism, activism, politics, art or spirituality in social work? Importance of witnessing, hearing, and (re)telling stories Need to recognize and acknowledge location-bound identities, perspectives, and histories in social work Need to utilize postcolonial analysis in social work While not underestimating their role, need of political and strategic collaboration within the broad field of social work despite different standpoints and resources.