The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative

After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. 

Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future. 

On the transfer, co-founder Victoria Martin expressed her pleasure to see this work continue under Wits' leadership, knowing that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction. 

As Wits, we honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades and look forward building from that strong base. This includes co-founders Warren Feek (1953-2024) and Victoria Martin as well as La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA), which continues independently at lainiciativadecomunicacion.com with links to The CI Global site. We are also eager to forge new partnerships and entertain new ideas as we consider how best to contribute to social and behaviour change in our rapidly evolving environment.

If you are joining the International Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Summit in Panama, please join Wits and CILA on Monday, 22 June, to share your thoughts and suggestion for the relaunch of the Communication Initiative. We will be in Pacifica 5 from 12-1:25 for the Refuel, Reflect, and Renew Lunch Series: The Communication Initiative: celebrating a driving force for Communication for Social Change and the way forward. We will reflect on the legacy of Warren Feek and family in creating the Communication Initiative, consider the contributions of CI over the years and then turn our attention towards the future in this dynamic session. 

If you are unable to join us in Panama, we still want to hear from you. Please contribute your thoughts by following this link: https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026 or reaching out to ci_surveys@commint.com. 

You can also follow the QR Code:

 https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026

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Anti-Retroviral Theatre (ART) - South Africa

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Anti-Retroviral Theatre (ART) is a project that is being used as a tool in the struggle against HIV/AIDS within contemporary South African society. The Forgotten Angle Theatre Collaborative (FATC) and its partners hope to use this project to create new ways of addressing critical personal and social issues through the use of "provocative and imaginative theatre and its related life skills."
Communication Strategies
The project is an effort to serve individuals and the communities they represent by probing and questioning critical personal and social issues surrounding HIV/AIDS. It follows a process of questioning that is designed to lead participants to a sense of compassion for, and understanding of, HIV/AIDS-impacted individuals and their roles in society.

ART trains individuals and their communities to take charge of their lives through engendering a culture of proactive action in relation to problem solving and crisis management. It teaches people how to create their own opportunities, developing critical life skills through the medium of the theatre and theatre training. The process attempts to teach people life skills such as critical thinking, personal empowerment, creative problem solving, trust, understanding, acceptance, and compassion.

Organisers believe that failure to address social problems and the inability to address them contribute to the escalating incidents of violation, abuse, rape, and HIV/AIDS infection. "It is our intent to use the tool of theatre to address these issues and provide individuals the skill to use these tools and put them to work within their individual communities."

The project provides employment opportunities for individuals working in the fields of theatre, education, and HIV/AIDS awareness and management.
Development Issues
HIV/AIDS.
Key Points
"This is a project that strives toward giving individuals the ability, capacity and skills to provide meaningful HIV/Aids education. Providing education with regards to treatment and prevention, transmission, awareness, care and support."
Partners

FATC, Artists Against Abuse, Artists Doing Aids, The Johannesburg Development Agency, The Dance Factory, The Market Theatre Laboratory, The African Bank Market Theatre.

Sources

FATC site.