Sysy House of Fame is redefining the role of Arts and Culture in Cameroon, shifting the paradigms and changing the narratives with innovation and creativity. This is clearly seen in the recent revolutionary shadow theatre performance that has been introduced to Cameroon by the creative and Artistic Director – Sylvie Njobati, who is also an SDG advocate and founder of Sysy House of Fame. “Bound by the Times” is a shadow performance that SHF is using to advocate for peace by narrating and reenacting experiences of young girls and women during armed conflicts and proposing alternatives to violent communication methods as opposed to non-violent methods.
Performed in Bamenda, a town affected by the on-going armed conflict in Cameroon, this innovative theatre performance is a blend of Music, Spoken Word and Stage Drama all put together to put an in-depth feeling of the effects of ‘war’. In an introductory word, Njobati Sylvie Vernyuy director and founder of SHF, said;
“We are not here to judge anyone. We do not even have the nerve to be angry, we have just one nerve left and we are using it to say we want Peace”.
In the presence of United Nations Cameroon, the show ran down tears from the over 250 people from different walks of life who could easily connect to the stories told by the girls. It is worth Noting that this was an all-girls performance under the project “Girls in Arts” of SHF that seeks to support and create opportunities for girls in Arts. This show also had an inclusive audience of people differently abled, Internally displaced community, Minority community. This is the first time this form of theatre is introduced and used to foster the Sustainable Development Goals.
