Community Theatre and Documentary Project Tubah subdivision
Female succession in most rural areas in the Northwest Region is often done with Gender stereotypes, when a girl-child is born, she is immediately seen as another man's helper, considering one day she will get married and leave the family. So, when her father dies he will leave her with no inheritance or if there is, it comes with many rules, for example; in the case of ‘Ownership’ the land is reserved for her male offspring only, so if ever she gives birth to a male he will be the one who will own the land, this limitation also extends to usage, she can farm on the land but is restricted to farming only certain foods, she cannot use it as collateral for loans, nor ‘Transfer the land to another offspring or sell it.
The Abuse of Power is another root cause. “Traditional rulers are referred to by the law as “Custodians of the Land”. This term which over amplifies their roles however is often abused” Mr Asongwe Fidelis,‘72 Retired Delegate for Lands and Survey in the Northwest Region (The Delegate is a ruling authority in matters of Lands in the Northwest ). Many traditional Leaders operate without the backing of the Law, they often take power into their own hands as they are the first go-to for women in rural communities to settle matters concerning land rights. These so-called ‘Custodians of the Land’, firstly, all are men and often support men over women in land dispute issues. They live to protect the Ego of the man and act independently of the law and take matters into their own hands without the backing of the law.
Objectives
To have a cross-cultural conversation on prevalent issues of Land ownership rites, succession, and challenges faced by women in rural communities of the Northwest Region. This forum discussion is a dialogue structure on disrupting the obnoxious traditional habits that limit women from owning lands, detailing a proposed solution brought up by the people within the community. These forum discussions will become a dialogue structure that will be role-played to a crowd as community theatre.- The community theatre will be recorded and documented into a documentary film made from the process. It will follow one of the protagonists from the dialogue structure and establish a background story, challenges, and impact of the community theatre in their life. This documentary will be used in other communities within Cameroon to facilitate the conversation on obnoxious land and traditional practices against women. The community theatre will become a tool for the community to use at their local meetings to effect change.
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