Drama and connection at the Refugee Women Drama Group
“Drama class was a way for a woman – who came to a country where she didn’t know the language or culture, and couldn’t trust anyone – to reconnect with life” (Mahide, WRW Drama Group participant)
Every week a group of women from the campaigning charity Women for Refugee Women (WRW) gather for a morning of drama and creativity. Since 2016 these weekly sessions have provided a space for self-expression, as well as being a social and creative hub: it’s a place where the refugee and asylum seeking women in our WRW network can make friends, relax and develop their arts skills. It is a space that helps women rebuild their lives, “…it was about realising that there are still good people in the world, bringing a smile, even once a week, to someone who had forgotten how to smile and who lived in constant anxiety” says Mahide. “We chat together, we play games, tell stories…it’s a lot, it’s therapy, no medication can compare!” says Maria. As well as supporting English language acquisition, building confidence and raising the profile of WRW through performance events, the WRW Drama Group provides a vital space for women to recover and thrive through creative activities: “Drama Group stimulates my inner mind” says Trish. Olivia prefers to call herself a “women seeking safety” and values the women only space of the group, it is “welcoming”, “free” and “comfortable”: the community combats the loneliness. “The creativity gives me back my power” she says, “I own it, I have a sense of purpose… I am making good use of my time and being part of the world”.
Games are an important part of the process, alongside song, dance and movement: and the healing power of laughter, music and moving our bodies is very evident. Mahide’s favourite game is two people taking turns to count to three, the numbers being replaced sequentially with a clap, then our hands on our head, then a stamp of the foot. “The first level, counting, seems hard, but it gets harder each time…and then you get used to it! Life sets one rule, then another, and another…and suddenly you become an acrobat just to hold on!” We always end up laughing. “I love the 7-Up game” says Trish. “You have to focus in order to get through…you’re together as team…it makes us forget about our problems when we’re together”. Maria enjoys when we hide an object then clap to give clues to the person finding, “I love it! It’s so funny!” she says. Olivia enjoys the exercise where we throw balls in patterns. She loves the relaxation of the mental focus and the physical teamwork, like a meditation.
Safety and choice for the members of the WRW Drama Group are key. Once women feel they are ready they can choose to take part in the organisation’s public facing activities at performance and campaigning events. The WRW Drama Group always performs as a group, so no one is under pressure to speak if they change their mind. The collaborative storytelling through collective poetry has proved to be a popular and effective way of women being able to tell their stories. “I can’t talk about my journey without crying” says Trish, “but I feel stronger telling my story through a poem…that’s how I can express myself”. “I love how people [audiences] appreciate my poems. I see myself there, speaking in public, which I could never do before” says Maria. “I love it when people come and speak to me afterwards” she adds. “Telling our stories in a way that isn’t retraumatising is so important” says Olivia. “Speaking out in the drama and with the poems is different to sitting in an unfriendly interview at the GP, or housing department, or the Home Office, just repeating yourself, repeating yourself.” In the Drama Group “we all bounce off each other, the ideas come and it’s not just about me, we are all connecting and supporting each other” she says. Olivia sees this public storytelling as a way of educating the public, for example our audiences at the Southbank Centre, or the students at university and drama school events, and really values the connections made at Q&As after performances. Women also speak out at campaign rallies and in parliamentary committees and the attention, reactions and support that our speakers receive is described by Olivia as “moving…as they see our real lives, the realities of our existence. They begin to think, that could be my neighbour”. We welcome creative visitors to our group, so if you are an arts practitioner with a skill to share, we’d love to meet you!
As told by WRW Drama Group participants Olivia, Trish, Mahide and Maria to facilitator Rebecca Hayes Laughton.
To find out more about our work, please visit www.refugeewomen.co.uk
