Peacebuilding through art: political theater group Interna-Só-Na-Mente

Abstract

The work aims to understand the importance of art for the construction of positive peace in the transformation of the structural conditions that perpetuate the forms of violence culturally manifested in society. In order to elucidate and instrumentalize the theoretical assumptions, we will analyze the contributions of the UFPB extension project, the Interna-Só-Na-Mente Political Theater Group. Thus, the conduct of the study will be in two stages: first, we will make a theoretical review of the literature to understand the forms of violence, peace-building and the role that art plays in this process. In order to do so, we will start from the basic literature of peace studies, especially Galtung (1985; 1996) and Lederach (2007). In the second moment, we will present as a case study the work of Interna-Só-Na-Mente, a group that proposes to discuss controversial political and social issues through art, inspired by Augusto Boal's Theater of the Oppressed (2005). We demonstrate how the group constitutes an active methodology for educational practice, as well as an agent of reflective impact in the academic and external community, addressing political and social issues to stimulate debates and transform society.