CAIRO, February 23rd - How to provoke debate amongst very distinct groups of people on sensitive topics such as: sexual harassment, sorting garbage, relationships between teenagers and their parents…? The Noon Creative team meets that challenge brilliantly with an original recipe mixing theatre and open debate with the audience.
On Thursday February 23rd, for the celebration of Sakia’s 9th Anniversary under the slogan: ‘Horreya – Freedom’; UNFPA, in partnership with Y-PEER, invited the Noon Creative Team to play the Hara TV theater performance.
The short play, based on a dialogue between a woman and her male friend, deals with much humor the different reactions a woman could have when she experiments sexual harassment.
Enthusiasm, loud applause and raised hands during the debate time, are the best indicators of success of the Hara TV theater performance.
Hara TV show touches upon a serious problem of concern of most Egyptian, women and men. Sexual Harassment has become an overwhelming and very real problem experienced by all women in Egyptian society, often on a daily basis, in public places such as markets, public transportation and the streets, as well as in private places such as educational institutions, sports clubs, and the workplace. As the report “Clouds in Egypt’s Sky “, conducted as part of the UNFPA- ECWR campaign “Making our Streets Safer for Everyone” explains, 83% of Egyptian women reported exposure to harassment. This report addressed for the first time this phenomenon that affects a women's life at all levels of society as well as socially and economically, being clear violation of the rights of Women. Sexual Harassment in Egypt is becoming one of the most extreme manifestations of gender discrimination.
HARA TV Theater gathers the different reactions and views from the participants helping to change attitudes of Egyptians revolving around an issue that cannot longer be ignored. “I think women should be more covered in the street” states a young man, “What are you talking about, I am being harassed too” answers a woman wearing the niqab. Without taking sides, Nada Sabet, mediator of the debate and director of the team, guides the discussion to gather points of view and experiences. The debate becomes an interesting brainstorming: “the solution to fight against sexual harassment is education”, “we should have more women in the police force”, “is there an harassment law?”.
“In Egypt many problems need collective actions”, thinks Nada that is why those debates are important to find solutions together. Exchanging ideas and working together for a better Egypt, those were the objectives of the UNFPA’s Youth Civic Engagement project, which allowed the Noon Creative Team to present the 35 minute performance "Hara TV" during a tour in 7 governorates in December.
