Seen and Heard at Last: UNFPA's community mobilization initiatives through POT Theatre

As a boy, Golam Mostafa harboured a dream of becoming a radio singer. Back then, radio was in its heyday and Golam craved a spot as a regular performer. “My father did not approve. He said as much to me. But I was not about to give up,” he said. 

While his father never explicitly offered his blessing, Golam eventually won him over. “Golam has a lovely voice, doesn’t he? He sings so well,” his father would often tell his mother later in his life – although never in his own son’s presence. 

As Golam’s voice was transported to different parts of the country across the airwaves, he never looked back, and indulged in one artistic pursuit after another. Today, he is a regular radio personality on Cox’s Bazar Betar, a celebrated theatre artist as well as a businessman. 

When he was first offered the scripts of “Popular Theater Show,” one of the regular community mobilisation initiatives under the Health and Gender Support Project (HGSP), he instantly became passionate about this project. “I realised it would take me to the farthest corners of this district, and give me an opportunity to showcase my work directly to the people,” he added. 

“I have always been a believer that art can make a very real, tangible difference in people’s lives, and this initiative seemed like a perfect chance to put that belief to the test.” 

Over the last three years, Golam’s theatre troupe has staged performances in all 11 unions of the Ramu upazila, hitting some unions as many as five times. Packed with folk music, comic reliefs, and dance numbers, these street shows raises awareness to prevent gender-based violence and harmful practices such as child marriage and dowry, and even harmful social norms such as son preference and daughter aversion. 

“The messages we convey are extremely important, that is without question,” Golam said with conviction. “But what makes them resonate with the people is the compelling performances delivered by our team. These artists pour their hearts into the daily rehearsals to ensure that every show is pitch perfect.” 

Golam's dream of forging a direct connection with the audience has lately come true. No matter how far he travels, people of Ramu recognize him not by his own name, but by what his character is called in the show - Member Bhai. Born and raised in Ramu, Golam finds that the local women and girls, including GBV survivors and at-risk adolescents, seek him out for support without hesitation. He, in turn, connects them to the GBV services in their communities. 

Golam, who has personally prevented two child marriages in the upazila, speaks of a gradual change unfolding across Ramu. “There were times when we had to stop our show halfway through because community members would react negatively to it. Now, people wait for our return, sometimes for months,” he beamed. “We have had women from the audience tearfully embrace our female artists, having finally felt seen and heard." 

“Men used to scoff at the mention of gender equality and dismiss it as a women's issue. But these days, I hear audience members share stories of men cooking for their families, taking an active role in raising their children, and investing equally in their daughters."

At 56, with his own daughter following his path as a radio artist, Golam dismisses the notion of retirement. “There is so much more that can be done with our show. We are just getting started.”
 

With World Bank’s funding and UNFPA's technical support, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched the Health and Gender Support Project in 2021. Under this project, popular theatre shows have reached 180,000 community members in Cox's Bazar district.