Central African Republic - IOM in the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Alliance Française this week (06/03) launched “The Dance of Dambalet,” a theatre play showcasing three Central African fairy tales with the main aim of promoting social cohesion within the country’s conflict affected population.

With the support of IOM, storyteller Lucien Dambalet and writers Romain Bally and Cyril Barbé collected popular Central African fairy tales focusing on topics of forgiveness, solidarity and dialogue. The texts were translated from Sango to French.

By engaging community members and revitalizing social spaces and infrastructure, the social cohesion project strengthens dialogue and solidarity within mixed communities heavily affected by the widespread violence since December 2013. Since its inauguration in March 2014 the project reached over 320,000 beneficiaries.

“It is the first time we see a performance combining storytelling with music and dance, making the stories float on the rhythm and pleasant to listen to. It was also the first time that Lucien Dambalet performed on stage and directly engaged with the public, which made it a unique event,” said Editor of Radio Ndeke Luka, John Noubarassem.

Dambalet actively contributes to the preservation of the oral tradition of information sharing through storytelling and therewith the conservation of collective memories in the country.

The play will be performed in various locations in Bangui as well as in the interior of the country in the coming months and will be broadcasted on the radio, to ensure maximum outreach to the population.

The activity is part of IOM CAR’s Community Stabilization Project funded by the European Union, which aims to promote peaceful co-existence and economic revitalization in the country.

For further information, please contact Anne Schaefer at IOM CAR Tel: +23672187635 Email: aschaefer@iom.int