UNFPA's interactive performance supported by EU promotes engaged fatherhood

“Race for Carrots” is a symbolic puppet tale of a “forest family” made up of a mother, a father and daughter rabbits. In simple language, the show touches on how children are affected by rigid parental roles, like stereotypical breadwinner roles for fathers and caregiving roles for mothers.

The show that is based on an innovative idea of mixing the forum theatre format with puppet show elements, avoids a neat ending, leaving space instead for the audience to reflect on the father rabbit’s reluctance to do “women’s” work. At the end of the performance the audience members can vote to change the course of the play, and perform as actors themselves to make those changes happen.

More than 40 boys and girls, men and women attended the show’s premiere. Following the show, a discussion motivated the audience to reassess their perceptions and behavior with regard to gender roles and parenting responsibilities.

The premiere was attended by EU Ambassador to Armenia Andrea Wiktorin, UNFPA Armenia’s Head of Office Tsovinar Harutyunyan, representatives of the EU Delegation to Armenia and UNFPA Armenia.

Four more performances will take place in Shirak, Lori and Tavush regions of Armenia in June.

The performance was developed in cooperation with “Theatre for Change” NGO in the framework of the “EU for Gender Equality: Together against Gender Stereotypes and Gender-based Violence” Programme funded by the European Union and implemented jointly by UN Women and UNFPA.

The EU 4 Gender Equality programme started in 2020 and is implemented in 6 EAP countries. In Armenia the programme is implemented by UNFPA Armenia in three EU target regions: Shirak, Lori, and Tavush.