Local partners, with help from ONE DROP's Water, Culture and Agriculture Project in (or PECAN, the project's French acronym), have gone nomadic. Using creativity and cultural references, they teach locals on how to better protect that very precious resource, water.
A Nicaraguan myth tells of a beautiful woman, La Cegua, who, jilted by her fiancé days before their wedding, became consumed by anger and bitterness. Exiling herself to the forest, she came to delight in frightening young men who happened upon her.
In PECAN's adaptation—written and performed by HAYTA (Hay teatro del agua, “The Water Theatre”), a theatre group founded by PECAN—La Cegua is the victim, suffering the same plight as a neighbouring village: a shortage of water and the abuse of natural resources.
The educational tale plays perfectly to its audience: local farmers learning to manage their land and water more effectively. In the opening scene, a magician shows the audience how he uses his knowledge to clean polluted water. In real life, excessive use of pesticides in the surrounding area has polluted rivers, causing people to become sick and driving animals away.
Ernesto Soto, HAYTA's artistic director, believes that using mythical references to educate people helps spectators understand things in a more dynamic way: “By starting with what people know and then presenting them with their own reality, we encourage them to look at their own actions, ask questions and change habits.”
Learn more about the Water, Culture and Agriculture Project in Nicaragua
Published on August 15, 2007