Theatre in the container: Border-crossing pedagogy among women living with HIV and AIDS

This article falls under the broader field of applied theatre used as a tool for activism, education and therapy. The article examines the extent to which an applied theatre project I facilitated in Johannesburg enabled participants to cross the border between objectification and subjectivity. The project focused on how Giroux’s (1992) border crossing pedagogy as performance exploration can be used for empowering women living with HIV and AIDS in an informal settlement. The idea was to enable participants to find their voices and speak back to oppression and the reality of living positively. Findings indicate that drama offers people a platform to observe themselves and others. This platform can be a place for resistance, empowerment and liberation, and impacts on people’s perception of themselves as they face daily challenges, including living with HIV and AIDS.