UG students set to stage a developmental initiative play

Yogkusm Kadum Foundation, a non-profit student organisation, is set to stage a play aimed at impacting the lives of sexually harassed and raped victims in Ghana.

The initiative dubbed, "After Justice What Next?, Safe Space for Safe Income" would seek to draw the attention of Ghanaians to the fact that rehabilitation was equally important as Justice and therefore the latter shouldn't be the only focus after any rape incidence.

The three-day program, is scheduled for Thursday December 20 and would end on Saturday December 22, 2018 at the School of Performing Arts car park, University of Ghana.

In an interview with the GNA, Sarah Naaki Tetteh, Project Manager of Yogsum Kadu Foundations said, "This is a very important program that Ghanaians must embrace. This project would create an awareness and provide a safe space, where rape victims can heal holistically, that is psychologically, emotionally and financially.”

"It would comprise a forum and an exhibition, where the forum would focus on bringing policy makers, advocacy organizations, religious bodies, youth and students together to deliberate on the nitty-gritty of the safe space concept. Whiles the exhibition would be on the second and third days. It would employ the theatrical concept of performance art; a vivid display of pictures and some very descriptive monologues that appeals to the imagination of the audience,” she said.

Miss Naaki Tetteh said the import of the theatre would be, to take the audience away from their personal world into the world of the victims, and for a moment make them relive the trauma of those victims.

She said the agony and the quest to correct the status quo has led women worldwide to initiate campaigns to enable people to tell their stories.

She explained that, references could be made to the “Me Too” movement that started in October 2017, the V-Day Movement which started about a decade ago.

She said the initiative was also to bring into public domain, the ordeal of the victims to the appreciation of the outside world.

"After Justice what Next?, Safe Space for Safe Income" is a final year project for Alice Senam Nimoh-Appea, Sarah Naaki Tetteh and Fabiana A Abag-dem, students of the School of Performing Arts, University of Ghana.