ABSTRACT
Three artist–peacebuilders and educators trace and reflect on the praxis of theatre arts and peacebuilding at the Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute in southern Philippines. Right from its inception in 2000, the institute affirmed the integral role of arts and culture, including applied theatre, in peace education and peacebuilding. Two decades of practice and theorizing have evidenced the value of dynamic art, in rekindling and mobilizing the innate citizen artist in all humans. This chapter examines and amplifies the convergence of the work of peacebuilders and citizen artists from different world regions who continue to engage in an intensive creative praxis that: (1) honors and builds on the arts and cultures of Mindanao in building peace; (2) constantly re-defines visual and performance arts in light of diverse experiences; (3) provides a tapestry of creative approaches in peace education and peace building; and (4) builds theories and practical approaches that contribute to peace education and peacebuilding. Their praxis is an unfinished process that calls for sustained peacebuilding efforts by citizen artists grounded on the realities of transforming violent conflict.
