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SUMMARY:CGHR Practitioner Series: Working in Human Rights\, Peacebuilding\
 , Humanitarian Aid and Development  - A staging of Wole Soyinka’s ‘Jer
 o’s Metamorphosis’
DTSTART:20140226T173000Z
DTEND:20140226T190000Z
UID:TALK50291@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Gabriela Martinez
DESCRIPTION:For those seeking to advocate and champion respect for human r
 ights and good governance\, a variety of means and instruments are availab
 le. Alongside political engagement\, inter-governmental and non-government
 al work\, art and drama also feature as important intellectual resources u
 pon which activists and practitioners may draw. \n\nUsing a performance of
  Wole Soyinka’s 'Jero’s Metamorphosis' as an entry point\, the objecti
 ve of this session is to address some of the themes referred to above. In 
 the context of CGHR’s Practitioner Series\, the discussion following the
  performance of the play will centre on Wole Soyinka as a socio-political 
 activist\, and the larger prospects of using drama and art as part of an e
 nlarged repertoire of platforms for championing the advocacy of human righ
 ts and governance. \n\nThe showcase of the Soyinka play is a result of a p
 arallel project at Goldsmith’s College\, London: ‘Dialogical Mediation
 : Intellectual intervention within theatrical and aesthetic conceptualisat
 ion’. This project sees directors and actors engage in conversation with
  a non-thespian discussant with regards to the political and social condit
 ions of Soyinka’s craft\, and the larger ethos that encompasses Soyinka
 ’s oeuvre.\n\nDiscussant: Tim Cribb\n\nChair: Dr Ruth Watson\n\nAbout th
 e play:\n\nThe Jero Plays by Wole Soyinka consist of two short plays re-re
 leased as a collection in 1973. The Trials of Brother Jero first came out 
 in 1964\, while Jero’s Metamorphosis was published two years later in 19
 66. Both plays satirize Christianity and religious hypocrisy\, particularl
 y\, the unquestioning devotion that many converts display towards their sp
 iritual leaders\, often exposing themselves to manipulation in the process
 .\n\nAs the title suggests\, The Trials of Brother Jero is about a charlat
 an preacher\, Brother Jero.  Brother Jero is a cunning beach diviner who w
 oos customers (penitents) to his church by using Christian superstition fo
 r his own salvation. For him\, the church is a business. He says:\n\n ‘I
  am glad I got here before any customers-I mean worshipers..  l always get
  a feeling every morning that am a shopkeeper waiting for customers.’\n\
 nBrother Jero is suave while his followers are gullible. He lures people t
 o his church by promising them material gains and promotions through praye
 r. \n\nThe second play\, Jero’s Metamorphosis\, is also set in Nigeria. 
 Here\, Brother Jero is cast as one of the many beach prophets operating in
  the region. The play opens with Brother Jero instructing Rebecca his secr
 etary to write invitation letters to other prophets. He has managed to acc
 ess a confidential file that reveals plans to transform the beach\, now us
 ed as a place for worship\, into a public prosecution ground.\n\nWith the 
 meeting\, the cunning Jero plans on using the file and its contents to uni
 te all the prophets so they form one church with him as the leader. On the
  day of the meeting\, Jero delays making an appearance.  Meanwhile\, he op
 portunistically instructs Rebecca to give the prophets a lot of alcohol.\n
 \nWhen Jero eventually arrives\, the preachers are asked to choose who wil
 l be the head of the church. Influenced by the alchohol they’ve been hav
 ing\, they cast their votes in favor of Brother Jero over his rival Shadra
 ck. The latter had been seen as the probable head. Unlike his colleagues\,
  many of whom are ex-convicts\, Shadrack is a real preacher.\nSource: http
 s://www.africabookclub.com/?p=2360\n\nAbout the Lent 2014 series:\n\nThe s
 phere of work known variously as the ‘Third Sector’\, ‘Development a
 nd Humanitarian Aid’ or simply – doing good in tough places – is not
 oriously impenetrable\, and frustratingly difficult to navigate for the un
 initiated. For somebody hoping to pursue a career within this field\, the 
 range of agencies and institutions\, initiatives and centres is at the ver
 y least bewildering. Most areas intersect\, and organisations work with an
  array of crosscutting issues and contexts. Yet what at first glance can a
 ppear to be a morass of very similar organisations doing generally related
  things\, is in fact often sharply delineated\, with different sectors req
 uiring surprisingly different competencies and operating under quite speci
 fic mandates. Working as an international human rights advocate would dema
 nd a different skill set and working environment from a project officer of
  a first phase emergency response – and both would have different routes
  to entry. Furthermore\, a Master’s degree isn’t always the best optio
 n. Cambridge University educates and trains many of the best young minds i
 n the country and provides a critical insight into the issues surrounding 
 international politics\, security\, development and humanitarianism. But w
 ith little clarity around what is involved in working in this sector\, att
 empting to translate this theoretical knowledge into a meaningful start to
  a career can be a minefield.\n\nWith this in mind\, the CGHR series will 
 allow students to listen and speak to a selection of high-level experts wo
 rking in these fields\, and address key issues and questions. There will b
 e four seminars throughout Lent 2014\, designed to equip students with an 
 in-depth and critical look at what each area involves\; the type of work c
 arried out\, contingent challenges and essential competencies. The first h
 our will introduce the speaker\, chaired by a discussant from CGHR \, and 
 will open up to the audience in the second portion of the evening to provi
 de the opportunity for students to engage with the topics discussed. The e
 vent will be followed by a drinks reception.
LOCATION:ARC Cafe\, Ground Floor\, Alison Richard Building\, Sidgwick Site
 \, 7 West Rd\, CB3 9DT
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