Guinea

Community Outreach

Search for Common Ground (SFCG) in Guinea complements its media programming with outreach tools that reach key members of the population on the same issues raised in SFCG's media work. SFCG's trainers and facilitators work together with local partners, including youth groups and theatre troupes, to create innovative and engaging face-to-face events.

Interactive Theater

Theatre is the principle medium used by SFCG to reach an audience of the principle stakeholders in Guinea. SFCG works with theatre troupes prefecture in southeastern Guinea to produce interactive plays that complement the radio programs through addressing the same topics. Interactive theatre allows the audience to participate and have a voice, and serves as a way to bring together the local community and strengthen its capability to resolve social conflicts and problems peacefully. Indeed, through these interactive plays, the actors become facilitators, while community members become the actors, asserting ownership over locally-generated solutions instead of externally imposed ones.

SFCG tailors these theatre events to accompany soap operas such as "Feu N'est Pas Incendie" in order to engender further interest among community members regarding the issues address in SFCG radio programs. For instance, based on information collected from UNHCR, refugee host communities, and the refugees themselves, SFCG's theater troupe has also used interactive theatre in its refugee integration program in the different locations that are currently hosting refugees (N'Zérékoré, Lola,Yomou, Macenta, Gueckedou and Kissidougou).

Festivals

In the past, SFCG has organized large-scale festival events for youth and women participants. The festivals may have a specific theme, such as the promotion of non-violence among youth. Through these events, SFCG field staff can also hear the concerns and interests of the local community and better understand the priorities of the population in Guinea. Such feedback is key to the production of programs of continuing relevance. Local focus groups of community leaders and major actors are responsible for planning the event, while SFCG coordinates and provides support.