Wishing for a World without 'Theatre for Development': Demystifying the case of Bangladesh

The author argues that Theatre for Development in Bangladesh practised by Non-Governmental Organisations, which is almost entirely funded by international donor organisations, serves globalisation in the name of poverty alleviation. By examining the case of two NGOs, Proshika and Bangladesh Institute of Theatre Arts, he shows that the NGOs are caught in the contradiction of either empire building for selfsustenance or serving as pseudo-mercenaries for survival. Through subtle manipulation, the interests of multi-national capital determine the donor's agendas, which in turn determine the issues taken up by the NGOs in their plays - all in the name of the people. An optimistic alternative offered by Aranyak, a group of non-professional theatre activists which made significant progress in the rural areas…