The theater troop “Atelier Théâtr’Action” (ATA, or Theater Action Workshop,) has a lot to be proud of. The campaign for the promotion of literacy that they started in the community library in Ndjili, in the middle of Kinshasa in December and January, was a great success. “Many students were obliged to wait their turn to enter the reading room,” explained Mr. Diyabanza, coordinator of ATA.
Some 2600 readers came during the month and a half campaign; more than ATA would have ever thought possible. With more than 1500 volumes of books and quite a number of special reviews such as Ired-Forum, Echos du Cota, Défis Sud, and Santé et Développement- from a diversity of subjects ranging from health, to education, to culture- available to them, the population of Ndjili rediscovered reading and the need to keep informed.
Students as well as teachers from 200 schools including the middle school Bonsomi, the preparatory school Lwanga, the high school Ste Germaine, and the academic institute Mwabi, all had at their disposal a variety of publications ranging from French literature to mathematics, physics, biology, as well as the entire collection of Routard travel guides, acquired thanks to Adrien Joveneau from the Belgian radio and television station RTBF. Composed of three departments (health, education, arts and culture) the library has benefited the population of Ndjili, from videos of theatrical performances like Mobali na ngay, a play concerning heritage, and Procès Ngungi, which discusses the treatment of malaria, as well as from French and Congolese novels.

	© ATA / The community library in Ndjili welcomes the campaign for literacy promotion led by ATA.

Information is Prevention 

The screenings of the films Monzeli, Youth at the Time of AIDS (Les jeunes à l’heure du Sida) and Youth Shouldn’t Become Parents Too Early (Jeunes ne devenez pas père et mère trop tôt) was a tremendous opportunity to inform others about the risks and the harm caused by AIDS and unwanted pregnancy. “Some students came on their own, and were deeply dedicated to it,” praised Mr. Diyabanza, regarding the library’s program.  According to him, this campaign established a regular habit of reading; the students remained permanent patrons of the library.
From the beginning of the campaign, journalists and parents have also been able to benefit thanks to message on the importance of reading from the presentation of the book by Mr. Claude: How to Read? (Comment lire?) In Ndjili, a town that politicians hardly ever visit due to the violence that often reigns, all the reforms which attempt to disguise this lack of information are positive. This is what the organization ATA, an NGO composed of young volunteers who specialize in community education through theatrical productions, works on. ATA operates, since its creation on August 25th, 1989, through training programs, and dissemination of free information, in the fields of the environment, health, and human rights…

ATA in the Center of the Campaign  

Rural areas, disfavored communities, isolated villages are moving, little by little, away from illiteracy as a result of these kind of actions taken by ATA. Moreover, with the purpose of broadening awareness, writings from around the world, such as medical reviews offered by international structures, have been put at the communities’ disposal. All the ATA team is invested in the success of this campaign, although the organization and the upkeep of the campaign come from separate funding sources. A collection by the parents’ community churches and purchases by members of the theater troop made the acquisition of the books possible. “Because there isn’t any state funding available for cultural activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” Mr. Diyanbanza explained, disapprovingly. However, ATA continues throughout this campaign to inform and teach the population by organizing literary contests and theater tours within the country, one of which took place February 16th on the subject of AIDS.