Earlier this year, a themed funfair, led by artists from the Janakpur Women’s Development Centre (JWDC), was held in Janakpur, Nepal. The theme of the funfair, or ‘Mela’, was prevention and control of type 2 diabetes.
The funfair was the culmination of a project that aimed to increase knowledge, understanding, and motivation to prevent and control type 2 diabetes in Nepal using participatory research and art. The UCL based research team worked with HERD International in Nepal and set out to achieve this by engaging with communities through research, drama, and a funfair.
JWDC artists and independent artists interviewed people in order to understand how type 2 diabetes is experienced and understood. Artists interacted with people who have diabetes, who are at risk of diabetes, and with health workers from the public and private sectors.
From these interactions, the artists then produced traditional Maithil paintings, props, interactive displays, and games for a drama that travelled to 17 villages and for activities at the large funfair.
Find out more about the project here, including an overview of the 'Mela' and the full film (8m 40s) of the event.
Images by Anuj Adhikary
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