Educating the Electorate

Where We Work > Afghanistan > Educating the Electorate

Educating the Electorate
2013 - 2014

Bond Street Theatre's Voter Education & Fraud Mitigation Project prepared the Afghan population for the Presidential elections on April 5, 2014 and the subsequent run-off election on June 14th. The project built on our ongoing programs with four Afghan theatre groups to bring civic information to hard-to-reach places with a focus on reaching women and youth. The project was supported by the United States Institute of Peace.

BST artist-educators worked closely with our Afghan theatre partners in Kandahar, Nangarhar, Bamyan and Kunduz to design a theatre-based voter education program. The troupes devised educational and entertaining performances that illuminated voter rights, women's rights, and common barriers to voting. The troupes presented 285 performances in 6 provinces and reached more than 150,000 people. Post-performance activities gave audiences the opportunity to discuss problems and role-play their solutions on stage. The companies' new all-female troupes brought information about voter rights to women in isolated areas and prepared them to vote.

Kandahar Theatre men's troupe performs in a public park

Kandahar Theatre women's troupe performs at a shura

In addition, the program focused on youth who were voting for the first time. The theatre groups conducted more than 75 workshops for youth focusing on this generation's role in building the new Afghanistan. The workshops staged mock elections in which the students created a platform, debated the issues, and voted for student candidates. The workshops were so popular, teachers staged the mock elections in their other classes.