Street Performers Address Community Challenges Through Song

13 December 2017

Cooperation Circle Members from Ekta and Roshni in Ahmedabad share an original song about resilience and speaking up for what you believe in. 

On November 14th, members from Ekta and Roshni Cooperation Circles from Ahmedabad shared two of their original songs with us. Their CCs are comprised of about fifteen members from the community who meet every night aver 9 p.m. to discuss challenges in their community and to create songs and performances to creatively draw attention to these issues. The building they meet in each night was constructed by members from donations they received during their street performances.

Some members are fearful that their work will find out about how much time they dedicate to this work, but largely their performances have been well received by the community. The group has about fifteen performance topics with plots and songs, covering issues such as violence against women, interfaith harmony, and education. 

During our visit, West Zone Field Organizer, Anjan, suggested that the group create a performance on global warming and environmental degradation to which the group agreed. Given the group's dedication and creativity, I anticipate a new performance will be ready in the near future.