Puppet workshop for peace building in socio-educational contexts

Abstract

Theater can be a pedagogical tool to stimulate processes of discourse and reflection that promote a culture of peace and help overcome the reductionism present in the socio-educational context. In particular, puppetry has communicative, socializing, and narrative qualities that allow the puppeteer to establish bonds of trust and security with the audience. By creating characters that externalize feelings, thoughts, and tastes, it becomes a bridge to foster a culture of peace. The aim of this work was to promote processes of building a culture of peace through the creation of puppets and the presentation of theatrical narratives. The workshop consisted of three moments: (1) opening with a 15-minute play; (2) hands-on training of participants in alternatives for making puppets; and (3) staging of the stories created by the participants, organized in small groups, based on a narrative research tool. The proposal implies that the participants learn to resolve conflicts peacefully through reflection prior to the creation of the narratives that will be used as a research technique, and through the physical and motor manifestations required for the theatrical presentation. It is also expected that the puppeteer will be empowered by overcoming fears and physically expressing his or her desires and thoughts. Finally, it is planned to use puppetry as a didactic tool in Physical Education classes to encourage creativity and physical expression.