Empowerment of citizens in a multicultural society

Abstract

This article is based on the project: Empowerment of Citizens in aMulticultural Society. We wanted to explore theatre as intercultural communication related to the challenges faced by our diverse society. Drama students and immigrants worked together based on Augusto Boal`s “Theatre of the Oppressed”. They participated as actors in “Forum Theatre” where they staged their own experiences with oppression. Through the medium of “Solidarity Forum Theatre Performance” (SFT) the spectators were invited to discuss and find solutions to oppression in a multicultural society. The spectators took on the main role in Forum Theatre as spect-actors, and through acting they explored different strategies to challenge oppression. The key question is: What potential do phases six and seven in Solidarity Forum Theatre have to empower immigrants and drama students as citizens in a multicultural society?