KADDU YARAAX
Who Are We
who Are We
Our History
Kaddu Yaraaxis a community association based in Hann (Dakar), with 17 active members and around thirty supporters. Its mission is to organise citizen debates on socio-political issues. Its main tool is theforum theatre, with frequent performances in Senegal (particularly in rural areas) and abroad, and training workshops led in partnership with local organisations.The association also relies on resource persons residing in the areas where its projects are implemented to anchor its actions in the territory. Through this participatory approach, it seeks to involve all components of the local community, from young people to traditional authorities, in order to strengthen social cohesion and collective awareness.
The Senegalese Forum Theatre Festival
Organisation of Meetings (Festivals)
For this 20th edition, the programme is structured around 30 to 35 activities spread over six days of immersion in the Yarakh district and in various cultural spaces in Dakar.
The organisation of the Senegalese Forum Theatre Meetings (Festival) has, for over twenty years, confirmed the predominant place of this interactive tool for community development initiated by Kaddu Yaraax.
By drawing on collaboration and partnership with local associations, socio-professionals, and public authorities, the association has successfully built a network of diverse stakeholders to enhance the impact of its actions on the ground.
Through a resolutely dialogic method, it has become fully involved in democratising public discourse, by organising open and accessible debates on current issues and socio-political challenges that directly affect the daily lives of communities.
From 2021 to the present day, we have addressed several themes, including... Climate change, violent religious extremism, irregular migration, the practice of the arts, gender-based violence, human rights, scientific mediation…
Forum Theatre
The preferred tool
Skills and transmission
- Regular performances: Frequent shows across Senegal (in rural and urban areas) and internationally.
- Training and capacity building: Regular facilitation of forum theatre training workshops for local troupes and partner organisations.
- Flagship event: Organisation of the Senegalese Forum Theatre Festival in Yarakh, which will reach its 20th edition in November 2026, dedicated to community development through art.
Thematic areas
Thematic Areas of Intervention
Since 2021, the group has addressed themes at the heart of national and international concerns:
Major institutional achievements
In Brief
- Headquarters and Community Centre: Opening and management of a community centre dedicated to creation, training, and local consultation.
- Dakar City Theatre Hub: Management of the theatre hub delegated by the municipal authorities of Dakar.
- Digital and Visibility: Creation and maintenance of web platforms and promotional tools for forum theatre.
November 1993: Creation of the troupe in the Yarakh Tefess neighbourhood (municipality of Hann Bel-Air).
Initial mission: to use forum theatre to raise community awareness about social oppression.
First themes: pollution of the Bay of Hann, community health, rights of people with disabilities.
Partnerships with UNICEF for the prevention of cholera, smallpox, and HIV/AIDS.
Organisation of over 250 discussions and 13 film screenings on HIV/AIDS. Construction of 1,356 household latrines with ONAS and AGETIP. Campaign 'The Bay is not a rubbish bin' for the protection of Hann's coastline. 2005: Launch of the Senegalese Forum Theatre Festival, which has become a major annual event.
Plays on clandestine emigration and gender-based violence. Adaptation of African tales and proverbs into participatory theatre. Collaboration with the French association Étincelle to train other troupes in forum theatre. Participation in international festivals, enhancing the troupe's visibility.
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Despite the Covid-19 crisis, Kaddu Yaraax continues its activities thanks to its participatory model.
2024: 18th edition of the Forum Theatre Festival. Regular performances throughout Senegal, often in Wolof, allowing direct interaction with the audience. 2025: Planned participation in the Kisangani festival (DRC). Current themes: politics, climate (COP), gender-based violence, social inclusion.