Theater festival offers solace in Burkina Faso, a nation torn by violence

OUGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — The last three years have been tough for Fanta Charlotte Dabone, a mother of three from the conflict-battered West African country of Burkina Faso.

She fled her village after it was attacked by extremists, leaving her husband and her farm behind. Since then, she has been moving from place to place, struggling to pay rent and to buy enough food for her children, including a 2-year-old toddler.

But last month, she got to be a queen.

Every day for a week, together with dozens of other Burkinabe men and women who have been displaced by extremist violence, she swirled, danced and chanted for almost two hours in front of captivated audiences at Recreatrales, an international theater festival held in Ouagadougou, the country's capital.

“I was so happy about it," she said. "I don't even know how to explain how it felt.”

Burkina Faso, a landlocked nation of 23 million in Sahel, an arid strip of land south of the Sahara, used to be known for its bustling arts scene, including renowned film and theater festivals, and its sophisticated craftsmanship.

But in recent years, the country has become the symbol of the security crisis in the region. It has been shaken by violence from extremist groups and the government forces fighting them, much of it spilling over the border with Mali, and by two ensuing military coups.

The military junta, which took power by force in 2022, failed to provide the stability it promised. Instead, the situation deteriorated: According to conservative estimates, more than 60% of the country is now outside of government control, more than 2 million people have lost their homes and almost 6.5 million need humanitarian aid to survive.

The country's leader, Capt. Ibrahim Traore, installed a system of de-facto censorship, where those critical of the regime disappear or get forcefully drafted into the army, and where even friends are afraid to discuss politics with each other.

But against all odds, last month the Bougsemtenga district in the capital turned into a festival grounds to host Recreatrales for the 13th time.

Bougsemtenga derives its name from “bougtenga,” which means “happiness district” in Moore, one of the local languages. True to its origins, this year its streets were transformed into a dreamy universe, resembling a crossover between a traditional village festival and “Alice in Wonderland." More than 150 African and European artists performed and over 4,500 theater lovers were able to escape the country's grim reality, if just for a little while.

Improvised theater stages were constructed inside people’s courtyards. The streets were decorated with colorful lights and abstract sculptures made by locals from plastic bottles and scraps of wax-printed fabrics. Residents put up hand decorated stands, selling beer and meat sticks to multinational crowds of theatergoers, ranging from Western diplomats to local mechanics. The ticket booth was a giant frog, its mouth wide open.

Aristide Tarnagda, the festival’s artistic director, said he was convinced that regardless of the insecurity engulfing the country, the festival had to take place as planned.

Theater is an affirmation of “the primacy of life over death,” Tarnagda said. He added that getting together to perform and watch theatrical productions is a form of resistance against adversity and violence. This is why this year's theme was "Turning the face to the sun.”

“Humans are capable of love and freedom, but sometimes they forget it,” he said. “The role of the theater is to remind them about it.”

Held every two years, the festival is the culmination of the yearlong work that the organizers do with residents of the Bougsemtenga district, which was home to two theaters and a theater association even before the first Recreatrales in 2002.

They run art workshops, including in writing, theater, dance and scenography, for young people from the district and from all of Africa, and organize mentoring sessions and business skills classes for local women. The goal is to get as many people as possible involved, said Odile Sankara, the festival's director.

“It’s a working class district," Sankara said. ”We want to encourage people to take an interest in art, to get a taste of it."

She added: “Art is a powerful weapon to fight for more light, more humanity and more love,” especially while her country and the whole Sahel region were going through a security and humanitarian crisis.

Claude Ilboudo, a 30-year-old from Bougsemtenga, has performed in the opening ceremonies of Recreatrales as a dancer since its first edition. He used to work as a glazier, and dancing was just his past time. But Ilboudo's life took a turn when five years ago he severely injured his right hand at work and could no longer do his job.

It was then that Ilboudo discovered a passion for theater and started working for the Recreatrales association. “Theater saved me,” he said. “It made me discover what I could do.”

This year, Ilboudo was part of the team that prepared the opening play with the internally displaced actors from scratch, including the concept, scenario and choreography. It was also the first time he personally interacted with people who had to flee their homes because of extremist violence.

For internally displaced people, theater is not just a tool for therapy, helping them to process trauma, said Sankara, the artistic director. It's a way for a group that has been marginalized and isolated in Burkinabe society to be seen by others.

During the play, Dabone, the displaced mother of three, stood at center stage with her toddler tied to her back and spit out a long, white paper strip. It symbolized all the haunting thoughts leaving her body, she said. But the question remains — for how long.

“Life is very difficult,” she said. “But when I am on the stage, I feel joy. It’s when I have to go back home that all these thoughts are coming back to my head."

The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

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Fanta Charlotte Dabone, a mother of three who fled her village after it was attacked by extremists, participates in Recreatrales, an international theater festival held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Kilaye Bationo)

People gather for Recreatrales, an international theater festival held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Kilaye Bationo)

Actors participate in Recreatrales, an international theater festival held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Kilaye Bationo)

Actors participate in Recreatrales, an international theater festival held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Kilaye Bationo)

Aristide Tarnagda, the artistic director of Recreatrales, an international theater festival held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, speaks to reporters Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Kilaye Bationo)

Actors participate in Recreatrales, an international theater festival held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Kilaye Bationo)

Actors participate in Recreatrales, an international theater festival held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Kilaye Bationo)

Hanifatou Dobila, the youngest director and actress to take part in Recreatrales, an international theater festival held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, poses for a photo Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Kilaye Bationo)

People gather for Recreatrales, an international theater festival held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Kilaye Bationo)

An actor participates in Recreatrales, an international theater festival held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Kilaye Bationo)

Fanta Charlotte Denbe, a mother of three who fled her village after it was attacked by extremists, participates in Recreatrales, an international theater festival held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Kilaye Bationo)

DENVER (AP) — It hasn't been a typical fall for the northeastern United States.

Fires have burned in parks and forests around New York City. Towns and cities in a stretch from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to south of Philadelphia had their driest three months on record, according to the Applied Climate Information System. Some reservoirs in the region are near historic lows.

Major changes need to happen to avoid critical shortages of water in the future, even if that future isn't immediate. As the climate warms, droughts will continue to intensify and communities should use this one as motivation to put in place long-term solutions, experts say.

“This is the canary in the coal mine for the future,” said Tim Eustance, executive director of the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission. “People should stop watering their lawns yesterday.”

Eustance wants New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy to issue a drought emergency to increase people’s sense of urgency.

Here are some ways to stretch water experts said could become necessary in the Northeast.

One important place water is stored is under our feet. Groundwater has dropped significantly over the years in parts of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and New York.

Groundwater makes up about half of New Jersey's drinking water. Sprawl and concrete can make it tough for rain to replenish the water underground.

“New Jersey is ‘mall-landia.’ We have these giant parking lots that could be ways to reclaim water instead of having runoff,” Eustance said.

In some other parts of the country there is increasing use of permeable asphalt, concrete and pavers that allow water to percolate into the ground and back into the aquifer. It would be up to municipalities to require that, he said.

A faster way to replenish the aquifer is by injecting highly treated wastewater into it, something Los Angeles has been doing for years. It is dramatically adding to the city's available water.

Virginia Beach, Virginia, is also pumping highly treated water back into its aquifer, and Anne Arundel County in Maryland is trying to pass legislation that would allow the same.

In some places in the western U.S., getting paid to save water has long been an option. Some cities and counties pay dollars for every square foot of lawn torn out and replaced with native landscaping.

Those policies are not nearly as widespread in the Northeast, said Alan Roberson, CEO of the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators.

“The abundance has created a different perspective,” he said. This can make it hard to get people on board with conservation.

Upgraded water meters can give customers details about their water use and help them see where they can save money when drought doesn't feel as urgent, said Beth O'Connell, chief engineer for Anne Arundel County, Maryland.

The concept is simple: capture water from the sink, clothes washer, shower and toilet, treat it to a high standard and use it again for nonpotable purposes: It can be sent back through pipes to flush toilets, cool buildings, water yards or help raise water levels in a river or aquifer.

“One of the crimes I think, in America, is we use drinking water to water our lawns and flush our toilet,” Eustance said.

Zach Gallagher is CEO of Natural Systems Utilities, which designs, builds and operates water recycling systems. He also is the father of three kids and lives in New Jersey, so this drought hits close to home.

“I feel like I'm doing something that is going to be meaningful and leave something beyond for my children, and their children,” he said.

Reuse can be a tool for both drought and flood, he explained. When a building can reuse its own wastewater and discharge it directly into a body of water, it eases stress on a city's fragile sewer system, which is a common vulnerability in old coastal cities. It also reduces demand on new water.

Once open this summer, the company's redesign of the old Domino Sugar Refinery on New York’s East River will be able to treat 400,000 gallons (1.5 million liters) of wastewater a day, enough to cover a football field in nearly 15 inches (38 centimeters) of water. The cleaned water will be piped back into the new mixed-use buildings for flushing toilets, cooling and landscaping, with some of it discharged back into the river.

Nonpotable reuse has a growing footprint in the eastern U.S., but scaling it to a regional level should be the next focus, O'Connell said.

Planning for a future that includes extended drought can be costly. It could also require a shift in mindset from one of abundance to conservation, said Del Shannon, dam engineer and member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

He has worked on water projects around the world and said many developing countries are focused on getting reliable water for crops and drinking.

“We need to treat our water and guard it as gently as those countries are."

The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment.

This aerial image taken from video shows a brush fire that broke out in a park on the northern tip of Manhattan in Inwood, N.Y., Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (WABC-TV via AP)

This image taken from video shows shows flames burning as a forest ranger works at the Jennings Creek wildfire, in Warwick, N.Y., Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (New York State Department of Environmental Conservation via AP)

This Monday, Nov. 11, 2024 image shows the Wanaque Reservoir is in Ringwood, N.J. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

Dropping water levels expose the lake bed at the Ashokan Reservoir in Ulster County, New York, on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

This Monday, Nov. 11, 2024 image shows the Wanaque Reservoir is in Ringwood, N.J. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)