IOM supported mobile theater play on the risks of irregular migration called “Boats of Death” was launched at the National Theater for Popular Arts in Khartoum. The play is in line with IOM Sudan’s aim to create wider public awareness on the causes and dangers of irregular migration; and to highlight the ill intent and tactics employed by human traffickers. Bearing in mind the importance of creating awareness around the real struggles and dangers facing a multitude of irregular migrants around the world, the play encourages discussions between live audiences and migration practitioners when possible to positively change perceptions.

IOM Sudan focuses its communication work on showing the positive impact of migration, offering alternatives to its oftentimes negative perceptions and to shed light on stories and messages highlighting resilience and opportunities of migrants; hence humanizing the current “crisis” narrative of migration.

Theater in Sudan and the region remains a popular form of entertainment and provides a creative communication tool to raise awareness and encourage public engagement. By engaging a popular mobile theatre group, which developed a play under IOM guidance while taking full ownership of the process and the final product, we make sure to give audiences a form of entertainment as well as to reflect on serious risks that irregular migrants face every single day

The mobile theatre group will perform the play throughout Sudan mainly in high areas of mobility or returnees, university campuses, IDPs camps, youth clubs and where social cohesion is a challenge. This mobile theatre production is a pilot activity by IOM Sudan and the performance and screenings are designed in a way that allows for questions and answers from the audience when being viewed by smaller groups.

The play was produced by IOM in collaboration with the Government of Sudan’s National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking and the generous support of the Government of Norway; and directed by the Sudanese Mobile Theater Workshop Group.

For more information, please contact: ELROUBI Dalia , Communication Officer, Email: delroubi@iom.int, Tel: 0912154652