Partner Organization: Horizons Institute, University of Leeds
ARTS4AMR (Arts for Antimicrobial Resistance) is a pilot project for arts-based awareness-raising on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in an underserved population in urban Bangladesh. This project aimed to highlight the value of embedding arts and culture into public health interventions to enhance participant experience and community involvement, and amplify voices of marginalised participants.
The project was developed to pilot the approach; recruiting a small group of local artists and performers to develop a community event on AMR. Trained through participatory workshops, the artists co-created a street-theater performance narrating a family’s journey to access antibiotics, blending local poetry, rhymes, and a folk song (‘Gambhira’) to convey key messages.
The artists led the creative process including scriptwriting, rehearsal, set and prop design and selected two performance sites based on their deep local knowledge. The site represented lower-middle income communities of Mirpur area. Both locations were chosen to maximize engagement and relevance, showcasing the artists’ pivotal role in tailoring AMR messaging to local contexts. Later, the artists played their street theatre in their selective site by engaging the communities. By focusing on lower- and middle-income populations, the initiative seeks to unite local artists and public health professionals in tackling antibiotic resistance in making a meaningful impact on public health awareness in urban areas.
