Arts-based interventions have been taking center stage more and more in the development field. They are attractive, accessible, fun, and give the organizations involved (funders, implementers, partners,…) a lot of faster and cheaper visibility.

However, all of these reasons, as great as they sound, might actually do more harm than good, depending on the contexts. Moreover, the strategic impact (short-term or long-term) is often highly exaggerated.

I know that the last thing you’d expect to hear from someone who lives and dies by the power of theater and arts for social, psychological, political,… change is this. It is definitely counter-intuitive to hear someone whose major avenue of work alongside performance, music, and audio consists of projects involving Theatre of the Oppressed (Forum Theatre, Image Theatre, Newspaper Theatre, Rainbow of Desire…), Playback Theatre, Expressive Arts Conflict Transformation, storytelling, and other arts-based interventions. But, the truth is I have learned equally from the times I had to say “No. It doesn’t work” to proposals of arts-based interventions as the myriads of times I actually conducted an arts-based intervention and reflected on their impact. The whole field of development and peacebuilding is quite nascent, let alone the arts-based interventions part of it. So we’re all still learning and the more projects I’m involved in, the more I’m learning. Nevertheless, here’s a list of the things I’ve learned so far. This is a growing list. I hope I’ll have more posts here about what the new things I learn as they happen.

• Arts-based interventions aren’t only one way to create change, but they are among the most efficient ways to do so if not the most efficient way (alongside sports. More on this later, I hope).

• Any artistic activity is an arts-based change maker at one level or another, even if it’s not meant to be (Please, note that this change doesn’t necessarily have to be “positive”. More on this later, I hope).

• It is not the artist’s (or anyone else involved in the work, for that matter) job to be aware about that change if the work isn’t intended to impact a change. That is, maybe, the only difference between an art work that’s intended to contribute to a certain change and an art work that’s not intended to cause any change; the awareness of the change (or its possibility).

• Arts-based interventions that have been strategically planned and positioned are the only ones that capitalize on the power of the arts to create impactful and long-lasting change.

• The best strategically planned and positioned interventions are linked to various analyses (needs, context, conflict, gender, Do No Harm,…).

• Strategic planning of arts-based interventions is the sole responsibility of technical programming experts.

• It is rare that even with correct analyses arts-based interventions aren’t needed. Yet, it is important that in those rare moments that they are not needed, they not be forced or pushed to be conducted.

• Finally, I learned that arts-based interventions can be useful for all the stages of the development process; analysis, programming, implementation, and monitoring, evaluation & learning. It can also be impactful for research, training, facilitation, and various consultancies.

Based on these lessons, when I am contacted to conduct an arts-based intervention now, the first thing I look for is if there is an analysis or if it’s needed. Based on that analysis, I get a better idea about the change the arts-based intervention is intended to achieve and whether that change is possible through the arts or not.

If you are considering an arts-based intervention for your project or a project you’re involved in, or if you’re considered an arts project and you want to understand its impact better or what kind of art can be done and why, let’s have a chat. Maybe I can help. And if I can’t, I’ll let you know.