Art offers hope, rehabilitation to drug addicts, prostitutes

23 Nov, 2014 - 00:11 0 Views

The Sunday News

Peter Matika Senior Leisure Reporter
A United Kingdom based Bulawayo born artiste, Gani Phiri, has managed to partner other artistes based in that country to form an organisation, United Artists, which uses art as a means to assist and rehabilitate alcohol and drug abusers as well as prostitutes.In an interview from his UK base, Phiri said he was delighted to have been using his talent not only to entertain but also to positively change the lives of people through various forms of creative art which he said was therapeutic.

“We work with people who abuse drugs, alcohol and even destitutes. These people are seen or considered as outcasts in their communities and have no other way of getting back on their feet. Through rehabilitation we can assist them in getting back their lost dignity and pride. We use performing arts as a means of rehabilitating people suffering from complex issues (be it drugs and alcohol or substance abuse). We also work with commercial sex workers, who want to leave the profession and make ends meet through an honest and less despicable means,” he said.

Phiri said they worked with various rehabilitation centres and through art he had managed to change the lives of many people since he migrated to UK. He said drug abusers, destitutes and prostitutes were encouraged to say their problems in a conducive and less serious environment adding that the use of various art forms come into play to try and engage them into more activities so that they have no time to look back to their otherwise wayward and immoral behaviour.

“Theatre art, in its various forms enables people with substance abuse problems to open up and build trust with staff and other professional agencies we work with. They are able to openly voice their issues without fear, discrimination or humiliation.

“Through our various art skills, drug abusers are able to regain confidence in themselves and are able to rejoin society on a more positive note,” he said. Phiri noted that United Artists was a Pan-African arts organisation with an open door policy, as they worked with anyone regardless of gender, religion, race, colour or creed.

“This started as an experimental project in a day shelter (a centre for people with drugs; alcohol and homeless issues). It became successful that funders/donors found it as a necessity that whoever had issues should be referred to United Artists. The project has been in existence for almost five years now.

“United Artists’ aims and objectives are to work with different people from different communities on issues affecting their communities. Through our art workshops we are able to reach out to many people with such issues. Creative art is therapeutic and enables communities to work together on various societal issues affecting them,” he said.

Phiri is one of the founding members of the organisation. Together with one Aritodde Nshangame (Mali) and Tipo Nkwendu (Congo), after attending a workshop in Spain on issues affecting communities in Europe; they decided to establish the organisation in an endeavour to reach out to the people. “We thought it best to use our art skills in working with people that are marginalised but need assistance,” he said. Phiri said that with the experience that he had so far gained, he would also want to implement the project back home so that he reaches out to more people who may need rehabilitation.

 

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