Lesson 1, Topic 1

In Progress

CREATING TO SOLVE SOCIETAL PROBLEMS THROUGH DANCE AND DRAMA TERM 3

Judith Kpakpo

CREATING TO SOLVE SOCIETAL PROBLEMS THROUGH DANCE AND DRAMA

Introduction

Generally, the performing arts have been known to have positive influences on members of the community most especially on young people. The benefits have been physical, emotional, and social as well as the development of a healthy appreciation of culture and the arts.

With a good foundation in the performing arts, one acquires the ability to

create performing art pieces in the form of dance or drama to solve some of

the problems found in the society.

Learning Indicators

After going through this chapter, you will be able to:

1. Understand the culture of dance and drama in communities. 2. Identify societal problems

3. Develop dance and drama concepts that discuss societal problems. 4. Create short dance and drama pieces that have the ability to solve some problems in the society.

LESSON 1: DANCE AND DRAMA IDEAS BASED ON SOCIETAL

HAPPENINGS

Introduction

In this lesson we will look at how to develop dance and drama ideas based on societal happenings. As a people the society or community in which we live defines who we are. As members of a society it is our responsibility to contribute to the development of the community in which we find ourselves.

However, as we go by our day-to-day activities in the community we encounter many happenings that have either positive or negative impact on our lives We are going to be exposed on how we can contribute positively in such situations using dance and drama.

STRAND 2: CREATIVE ARTS. SUB-STRAND 2.2: CREATIVE AND AESTHETIC EXPRESSION

Dance and Drama in the Community

Dance and drama have the ability to provide many social and cultural Improvements in the community and surrounding areas for children, teenagers and adults. They expand social and cultural interaction, and provide an overall community feeling of well-being and togetherness.

The social aspects of dance and drama open the opportunity for friendship for members of the community or society. Others include self-confidence, imagination, and empathy.

Identifying Societal Problems

Now that we have been exposed to elements and benefits of dance and drama in our communities we are going to go on to how to develop drama and dance ideas that can help solve or curtail some societal issues. As we are aware our communities in which we live in are faced with numerous issues that need to be addressed.

Some of the issues include, but are not limited to, bullying, peer pressure, girl child education, poor sanitation, and drug abuse. In as much as some problems may be common, we must not forget that every society has its own peculiar problem. We are going to extensively discuss the problem of poor sanitation in our communities, after which we will try to find some solutions to this problem.

Poor Sanitation

Poor sanitation is one of the problems we face in our communities. Poor sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and adequate treatment of and disposal of solid and liquid waste. There is a need for sanitation systems to help protect human health by providing a clean environment that will stop the transmission of diseases, especially through the fecal-oral route. Factors that have the potential of causing poor sanitation include:

Poverty

Poverty in Africa remains one of the greatest challenges facing the people and their governments. Most urban populations are living in deplorable informal settlements that are characterized with extreme deprivation of basic human needs especially service provision.

CREATIVE ARTS & DESIGN – BASIC 7

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55STRAND 2: CREATIVE ARTS. SUB-STRAND 2.2: CREATIVE AND AESTHETIC EXPRESSION

Dance and Drama in the Community

The social aspects of dance and drama open the opportunity for friendship for members of the community or society. Others include self-confidence, imagination, and empathy.

Identifying Societal Problems

Poor Sanitation

Poverty

STRAND 2: CREATIVE ARTS SUB-STRAND 2.21 CREATIVE AND AESTHETIC EXPRESSION

Lack of sufficient water supply has led to unofficial ways of accessing water services. This has in turn led to access of unhygienic water for the people which exposes them to waterborne diseases such as cholera.

Inadequate Water Provision

Inadequate Planning

As population increases, more pressure is put on the capacity of urban cities to provide services to residents. High costs of housing, transport, health care, and sanitation have led to growth of slums and informal settlements. All of the have led to acute drainage and sanitation problems, which have contributes to the emergence of breeding sites for mosquitoes and flies.

Effects of Poor Sanitation

Activity 1

Discuss some of the effects of poor sanitation in your communities and write them down.

Activity 2

Develop a drama and dance piece on poor sanitation in your community. This activity will have to be done in groups. The group can use the following questions to guide the process:

1. What are the causes of poor sanitation?

2. What are some of the effects of poor sanitation?

3. Can a creative drama and dance piece be used to address this problem? 4. If yes, then create a drama and dance piece for this problem. 5. Use the lesson on Plot to assist in developing the story.

6. Remember that your story should have the following parts: exposition. rising action, climax, falling action and resolution.

7. Can the group create a dance piece on poor sanitation?

Chapter Review

1. What are some of the benefits of drama and dance to community

members?

2. What are some of the problems found in communities which dance and drama can be used to solve?

HISTORY, CULTURE, ENVIRONMENTAL AND TOPICAL ISSUES IN

THE COMMUNITY

In this lesson, we are going to produce designs (poster) that can address a topical issue in our society. One of the topical issue in Ghana is the novel Coronavirus, COVID-19. This pandemic has made schools to close down for more than nine months. The World Health Organization (WHO), together with Ghana Health Service have been advising the general public to observe some health protocols to

prevent them from contracting the disease.

Among the protocols are washing hands with soap under running water, the use of hand sanitizers, wearing nose masks and face shields as well as observing physical social distancing.

Your Creative Art and Design teacher will guide you to produce manual posters comprising the various objects mentioned in the health protocols and add texts to them for social awareness purpose. Your knowledge on still-life drawing will be very useful in designing the poster.

The purpose of the still-life drawings is to educate the illiterates in our

community to know what those items are, and how to use them: soap, a

bottle of hand sanitizer, nose mask and face shield. After drawing, we will shade the objects using the various shading techniques we studied and add text to illustrate how to use those items or products.

Activity

Follow your teacher’s instructions/directions and produce a poster to address

the topical issue above. Study and talk about the poster on the next page.