Described on the website of the WHEAT Institute in Manitoba, Canada, Bonface Njeresa Beti is recognized as an international artist-peacebuilder and educator who employs theatre-based interventions to foster peace within individuals and communities. He utilizes embodied expressive tools to address broader social justice issues, advocating for decolonization and structural transformation.
Beti completed his undergraduate studies in psychological counseling and theatre in Kenya before obtaining a MA degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Manitoba, Canada. Currently, he is pursuing his PhD at the same university and is also enrolled at the European Graduate School in Switzerland, pursuing an advanced certificate to further his PhD studies in Expressive Arts and Conflict Transformation. Concurrently, he serves as WHEAT’s Expressive Arts for Social Change and Peacebuilding Director.
In a recent episode, Owen Kelly engages in conversation with Bonface Beti regarding the workshop titled “Music is at the heart of African creativity” that Beti led at ICAF. They explore various aspects of the workshop, including its format, outcomes, unexpected discoveries, as well as its connections to forum theatre, theatre of the oppressed, and its alignment with the workshop’s title.