Project Rwanda: Drama and Theatre Education for Reconciliation and Development was conceived as a multi-year program whereby faculty and students from the MA in Applied Theatre at the CUNY School of Professional Studies travel to Rwanda to assist Rwandan students and teachers in acquiring interactive, applied theatre skills. The twin goals of the Project are: (a) to develop the use of theatre and drama strategies as educational tools to help promote unity and reconciliation among Rwandans, and (b) to create job opportunities by building applied theatre troops; first in schools and colleges, and later in the professional, cultural milieu.

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Project Objectives
Over a period of 5 years, Project Rwanda will:

• Train a cadre of pre- and in-service secondary school teachers in the theory and practice of drama and theatre methodology and techniques to enable them to turn-key the teaching of drama and the development of theatre troops in schools,
• Create a cadre of young Rwandans with the skills and commitment to use applied theatre as tools for social engagement, community education and cultural development, and
• Support the creation of drama/theatre troops in secondary schools.

Year One 2010

Phase One of the project was conceived as a pilot phase and implemented in July and August 2010. It was an unqualified success. Students and faculty alike were enthused at all the institutions visited. The Kigali Institute of Education made an official proposal to form a partnership with CUNY/SPS to deliver ongoing student education in applied theatre through a series of annual visits from SPS faculty and students. It is hoped that these will lead to opportunities for Rwandan student education and KIE faculty development in New York City.

Year Two 2011

Phase Two will build upon the objectives, content, and structure of Phase One.

Objectives
The objectives of Project Rwanda: Phase Two are to:

• Implement introductory training in applied theatre theory and practice to the new KIE freshman class,
• Implement a second level training for the 35+ students worked with last year (who are now in their second year of studies),
  
• Create and present an applied theatre performance, in which KIE and CUNY students perform publicly together,
  
• Offer professional development opportunities to KIE faculty,
  
• Offer a training workshop for in-service teachers drawn from the regions across the country,
  
• Provide lecture demonstrations to explain methodology, foster understanding, and garner support, and
  
• Make appropriate cultural and educational visits to develop the understanding of the Rwandan historical, cultural and social context among the CUNY/SPS students and faculty.

Project Team
The project team is composed of faculty and students from The CUNY School of Professional Studies. Professors Helen White and Chris Vine will lead 10 students from the M. A. in Applied Theatre Program. Coordination of the project in Rwanda is assumed by Jean de Dieu Musayidizi from the Rwanda Bureau of Information and Broadcasting (ORINFOR), Léon Mugabe (Faculty of Education) and Stephen Buckingham (Faculty of Arts and Languages) working in consort with Dr. Nsanzibiga, Dean of Arts and Languages at the Kigali Institute of Education (KIE).