Khorog, the capital of Gorno-Badakhshan and the largest city of Tajikistan’s Pamir Mountains, was the first to receive the mobile theatre. The audience were workers of local enterprises, unionists and local people.

Before the performance, Ismoil Faizizoda, Deputy Chairman of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions Tajikistan (FITU), said: “Trade unions are proud of having initiated a nationwide awareness campaign in the form of mobile theatre. We see that performances hit the right cord in people’s hearts while a dialogue between the audience and trade union representatives help people better understand the risks resulting from informal employment and learn about their rights and requirements of the law”.

In his presentation, Rolf Buchel, ILO Decent Work Project, financed by the MFA of Finland, welcomed the participants on behalf of Olga Koulaeva, Director of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and wished the campaign every success. Then he discussed in detail the provisions of the Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy Recommendation (No. 204).

“Our project has supported the Tajik trade unions’ initiative to organize a mobile theatre.  Now we are convinced that this was a right decision: people are not only receptive of the performance but also get involved into vivid discussions of the episodes. It is important that the theatre speaks with humour about serious and even tragic things as tragic and funny often go side by side in life”, he said.

From Khorog the mobile theatre moved to Gorno-Badakhshan’s districts to perform before workers of industrial enterprises and rural inhabitants.