Drama - a powerful medium for Giribawa Child Society

Monday, June 30, 2014

It was an exciting day for the members of the Giribawa Child Society. After four months of practices and hard work, they were finally making the trip to Colombo to perform their play titled ‘Kumbi Api Kumbi’ (Ants).

The cast was extremely confident about their performance. They had already won the Children’s Society Drama Competition 2013 in the Kurunegala District. Now they were going to perform in the National Drama Competition to be judged by a panel comprised of renowned stage artists.

The performance went smoothly as the young cast did their very best. Their enthusiasm and belief in the message they wanted to convey, shone through.

Child Rights - the theme of the play, is something the cast holds very dear. “The drama has a very important message. Adults need to treat children with respect,” said Sakuntala Sanjeevani (18). “ If adults are mistreating children then they need to change. I am thankful to World Vision for the opportunity to participate in this drama.”

Lakshika Maduwanthi (13) who played the lead role of Malee, was especially proud of her character. “I think if there are adults who mistreat children, they should reform themselves to treat children with kindness. Even children should learn from this lesson; if they are treated badly they should explain about their rights and make the adults understand,” she said.

Following the performance, the cast visited the World Vision National Office, where they were able to meet the National Director and other staff.

Drama is just one of many activities that the members of the Giribawa Chilld Society are part of. The children are able to develop their talents through sports, art and public speaking. In 2012, the Child Society visited Mannar as part of an exchange programme, a first for many of the children since the end of the conflict.

“This is an experience we will never forget. We are thankful to World Vision for bringing out our talent and for the training we received,” said Asela Shaminda (18). “What is important is for the children to come forward as future leaders. World Vision gave us the confidence to be leaders, and we are so grateful for that.”

The performance was placed fifth out of twenty-four. For this young cast however, the message of their play is just as important as winning.

Echoing the sentiments of her cast mates, Nadee Sewwandi (16) said, “It was a tiring experience but we are so happy we came this far. I am sad that it is over. The message of the play will stay with me always and I will tell others about it to increase awareness”.