Camping, Filming and Having it Good

We took a month break after our very successful final project, "Theatre on the Move". For those that either could not attend or are unfamiliar with what this project is all about, the children wrote, set-designed, costume-designed and directed a theatrical performance entirely on their own. The play they conceived explored themes of violence, gangsterism, drugs, teenage pregnancy, multiple partners and generational conflict. They called this play 'Neighbourhood' and reflected upon it as a descriptive performance about their daily lives.

The performance was held at The New Africa Theatre to a full house on both the morning and afternoon shows. The morning show was open to family, friends and the wider public, and the afternoon show was performed to school-going children between the ages of 15 and 18. Both audiences responded positively and the children were thrilled at the reception of their performance. They said that they felt like "superstars" and were visibly moved by the comments and congratulations they received. Additionally, they gained a tidy sum of money that they wanted to use toward a celebratory party and our future camp. Half of the proceeds they divided amongst themselves and the rest they put towards their camp.

One month later, we were heading out passed Sir Lowry's Pass to Greyton for our camp. Our destination was the Blue Hippo Tipi Village. We set out in the late afternoon and arrived there in the early evening where we settled into where we would spend the next four days. Our intention for the camp was to go deeper into the emotions that the themes in the play brought about. Broadly reflecting, the next four days would be a "detox". We practiced yoga and meditation, held reflective sessions, went on walks and ate a healthy, well-balanced diet.

I had also had an idea a few months ago to create a film about the lives of the Creative Collective. They had impacted my life in so many brilliant and dynamic ways that left me wanting to create more avenues of growth and prosperity for them. I shared the idea with my sister who is a film-maker and we immediately began preparing how we could materialise this idea into reality. We weaved together a narrative to drive the film through the creative genius of my sister's mind and before we knew it, filming had commenced centering around the play, the camp and how the children wanted to develop their creativity. 

Four days went by in a flash. The morning of the departure back to Cape Town crept in, in a way that felt too soon. The bus journey back was mostly in silence as we left the grand mountains and lush green hills behind us. When we arrived back in Blikkiesdorp, the children 'comedically' pretended that they didn't live there. They described their home as if they were outsiders who were observing the overwhelming poverty around them. They said, "Who lives here in such poverty?! These people are so poor"! They laughed at one another as the van came to a stop outside their tin homes, refusing to get out as they adamantly (in humour) stated that this was not where they lived.

Although they had made light of their environment on returning home, I was deeply saddened. I felt the foreboding charge present at the centre of their humour and knew it came from a total and utter dissatisfaction of their environment. I am still digesting those last few moments in the van.

We all loved the camp tremendously and it remains a stalwart guide in our journey. We wrapped up filming yesterday (5th July 2011) and hopefully with some more funding we will be able to add to what promises to be an already beautiful, engaging, and informative film.

Getting to know the children over the passed months has been an honour and is a continued pleasure. 

Playing in the Forest

I always find it absolutely magical how nature unravels the folds, stretching the senses, which allows for exponential growth.

We arrived in the forest on a beautiful Wednesday morning. We pulled up into the parking-lot of the forest, the trees arching and reaching in a medley of greens and browns. For me the forest immediately adds grace to my pace. I so often get into the rhythm of great speed and sometimes struggle to find the spaces in between to take respite to just breathe deeply. So, visits to the forest are welcomed always. Moreover, to share the experience with loved ones amplifies my feelings of gratitude. I'm happy to feel that bringing the children to the forest was a wonderful idea. They lapped-up all the lush 'greenness' around them. Bounding up the narrow paths, fishing for tadpoles in the mountain streams, picking up de-robed exoskeletons, hanging upside down from trees, climbing into the high canopy of the forest and generally unwinding in the expanse and abundance of the forest.

I found time to have reflective conversations with the girls in particular. The boys had run on ahead and the girls walked at a slow pace up the mountain paths. We spoke about relationships and what they meant to them. They shared stories about their boyfriends and what they expect and receive from their partners. Speaking about relationships and their expectations allowed for a deepening of understanding in terms of how they perceive themselves. Each of the girls have a distinct and specific way of reflecting and expressing what and how they feel. Whilst listening, I wondered about the journey along which they had been that allowed for them to express their viewpoints in the way they did, what experiences had informed their ideas, who reified and fortified meaning into their observations, and where exactly was the birth place of such ideas. When our conversations had subsided, I turned my recorder off. The girls then requested that they hear what they had just shared. I replied that we could collectively listen to it in the car on the way home, as we had now re-joined the boys and had also reached the highest reach of the contour path. We decided to head back down as I wanted us to practice our play before dropping them back at home.

When we reached the bottom, we feasted on a few berries that we plucked off the tree before sitting on the grass patch for a quick lunch. Some of the children had not brought a lunch (I had asked them on this occasion to bring their own packed lunch to share and I would supplement it with juice and fruits). The children were familiar with these berries and so harvested them in great numbers.I wondered, and still wonder if the 'great harvest' was a substitution for not having a pre-packed lunch. Those that brought food graciously shared what they had.

During our lunch we got a chance to see a helicopter take off which was very exciting for us all. It was a first time for all our eyes and we laughed and smiled in astonishment as great gusts of air swirled around us as the helicopter began to rise. After lunch we had a short practice and then headed back home. During the car ride we listened to the conversations we recorded earlier. The children clutched the recorder close to their ears two-by-two, listening to what they had said. I thought it was an interesting way to be self-reflective.

Wishing Mobiles

Our first session in our new space.

We fitted well in there. Our little room of delight.

We began the day with our usual morning meditations. I enjoyed today's meditation especially as it combined words with repetitive action. The words are as follows:

   I am brave
   I am bold
   My own Spirit
   I can hold

These words are said in accompaniment to the loveliest gestures of the body and hands. As always, we ended in hysterical laughter, which always ushers us into a positive space of healing and creativity. In high spirits, we began to make 'Wishing mobiles'.

Mira Matthew, a friend of mine conducted a short workshop on how to make these mobiles. We had our sticks, colourful wool, and beads all set-out in front of us. Once the mobiles were complete, the children were asked to write one wish they felt really strongly about. These wishes they had to keep to themselves. I asked them to write their wish down holding the intention of its manifestation in their minds eye. With these in mind we headed down to the ocean to deliver our wishes to the expansive waters.

Throughout the day I had very interesting conversations with the children about what wishes meant to them, how they felt when their wishes came true and how they felt when they didn't manifest. For the most part they were rather skeptical of wishes, with only one of the 6 children saying that once upon a time, his wish came true. He had said he had wished upon a shooting star when he had seen one and soon after that, his wish came true! I would like to explore this notion of wishing more in future sessions as I believe it to be a powerful mechanism for transformation.

Another observation that struck me was when we were at the ocean. The boys had taken off their shirts and had flung themselves enthusiastically into the waters edge. At the sight of this, one of the girls commented that she wished she could do the same. I replied that she could if she wanted to, emphasising that it was important to know that ones gender ought not to be thought of as a limitation to freedom and enjoyment. She laughed in a surprised way at my suggestion that she could just hold her breasts, keeping them covered with either her arms or her hands. She explained that for her being bare-breasted was "geraam", meaning "wrong". She then went on to say that perhaps it would be fine for me as I was African.

We continued discussing her ideas of what an African was and the moral imperatives that resulted in such a conceptualization of identity. Throughout it all, she maintained that she was definitely not an African, but that she was 'Coloured'. Once again, this is another topic that I wish to explore with the children that I had hoped we would discuss through the Connecting project.

There is much still to cover and so many subjects that I wish to creatively explore with the children.

We ended the day with me in a cloud of thought as we drove home, the children cautiously questioning me as to whether I was angry with them. Seemingly my silence is perceived as an indication of discord. I reassured them that I loved them dearly and that I was only thinking very deeply about life, the universe and everything.

Falling in love and Consequently Losing Control

It feels a lot this week. It feels like I'm on a runaway train and I'm running around inside the train trying to make sure that the abandoned full cup's of tea in the food-carriage, do not spill any of their contents. I feel like I'm going somewhere at a rapid pace and at the same time stripping the tracks as I race through, making it difficult for me to navigate the origins of my intensions.

The room that we are renovating is looking so much better than what we were first presented with. We have worked hard on it, but a week and half down the line still not complete and I am feeling exhausted, over-stretched and anxious to complete it all before the weekend. It leaves me with a teary feeling....

This feeling of non-achievement drips menacingly into the other jobs that I do, compounding my insecurity of failure. I have dreamed a big dream here with Creative Education and I think this week, I am acknowledging the weight of my dreams.

This past Saturday with the children, I realised how much I loved them. It was a stone-cold realisation. I suddenly in a moment felt for the first time the enormity of what we were creating together. Realising this filled me with a sense of fear. In a flood of thoughts, I clung desperately onto the idea that I knew exactly what I was doing. I had to.

I do know what I am doing....don't I?

The Show Goes On

This past Saturday we spent half our session writing letters to our American partners and the other half was spent working on our play. Their letters are so lovely and I hope we find an audience on the other side. Communication has been fragmented and we have not found something concrete we can build on. I am anxious too, that my links with schools in Ghana have not been finalised. It fills me with a great sense of unacomplishment to have promised something and as of yet, not been able to deliver. I feel something of a hypocrite considering I am immensely critical of the governments botched promise to give people housing.

On a happier note, we moved! We are now housed at:

The PanAfrican Market

Room Number: 220

76 Long Street

Cape Town, South Africa

8001

Maxine, a wonderful DIY lady called Daniella and I were chipping, scrapping and ripping the room down and up! Today we fill the 1 million holes that are sprayed across the walls and begin sanding the wall surface down. Fun, fun fun!

We meet with the children again this coming Saturday to continue with the play.

Perhaps I could also bring along a 3G stick to connect them to some of my friends online....

Yes, no, maybe?

Heading out and coming back

We had a day that left me anxious, exhausted and thoughtful amongst other emotions.

We began the day, picking up the children from Blikkies. On entering the large barren football pitch that is located in the centre of Blikkies I noticed that a play area was being constructed. Workers were putting up a seesaw, slide and some swings. The poles were brightly coloured and even before it was complete a large crowd of children had begun clambering over the incomplete structures. The play area was being constructed over the hard, gritty sand, creating a space for future broken bones, scratches, bruises, aches and pains. Furthermore, this area is also where the huge industrial bin is kept. The community regularly deposits and burns their waste here. No attempt was made to remove the bin and it is now every bit part of the play area. In fact when we returned later, the contents in the bin were alight, and more than 150 children were playing unwatched, in and on the swings, seesaw and slide.

I began asking the community what their thoughts were on the latest addition to Blikkies. Everyone that I spoke to said that it was in bad-taste. One informant said that it was a "danger for the kids". She went on to say that there was already a lot of diarrhoea and stomach illnesses and that putting the play area so close to the bin was terrible and meant more visits to the hospital. In her opinion, instead of constructing a play area, they ought to have put down a bit of lawn for the kids to play on. Others had similar thoughts about the location and all had no idea who was behind its construction. I could have spent the rest of the day interviewing people about their thoughts but I had made a prior appointment with the children. Today was our day to visit the Baxter theatre, go for a swim and then head to the circus! I turned my attention on the children and so began our adventure!

One of our previous members had chosen not to attend our sessions anymore and on this day she stood with the others, waiting for us to arrive. She had not been coming to Creative Education for the past three weeks. She had met a boyfriend and since then her life had changed dramatically. She has begun to hang out with an older-aged friend base and has changed the clothes that she wears. She is far more conscious of her appearance and is more reserved in her movements compared to previous weeks. I rejoice in her journey and find it remarkable how simple and swift the passage from childhood into adolescence is.

I was happy to see her as I had not had the chance to connect with her since her decision to leave. She stood there sometimes biting her nails and other times hugging her chest tightly. I greeted her warmly and asked how she was. She seemed nervous, shy and awkward around me, which was a manner of interaction with her that I was not familiar with. I tried to ease her mind and body, as I asked after her health and well-being. I then explained to her that unfortunately I had assumed she was not coming and consequently did not make preparations for her presence in the day. She nodded silently. I sensed she felt caught in between her feelings and thoughts. I imagined that she wanted to have both Creative Education and her new circle of friends, but that Creative Education was not a “cool” thing to pass ones time with on a Saturday.

The other children who attend Creative Education did not ease her silence and persisted to tell me (in front of her) that she was "mad to have given up Creative Education", because of the fun things that we do, specifically our outing days. I assured her that she could rejoin us anytime she liked. I also said that it was unfortunate that I had not made extra preparation, but that if she wanted she was more than welcome to come the following Saturday. She once again nodded silently. I then asked the rest of the children to jump into the cars so that we could head to the Baxter. When we were all safely packed in, the girls in the car I was driving and the boys in the car my male friend was driving - Seating arrangements were organised by the girls.

At the Baxter theater we were treated to a very informative and excellent tour. We went behind the scenes and had a short tutorial on the different roles each member of a theatre company has. It was fascinating. Next we headed to the Turkish baths on Long Street where there is a public swimming pool. We swam for a little over an hour and soon it was time to head to have some lunch before heading to the circus. The children were very reluctant to leave the pools and constantly asked if we would be coming back later. We then had lunch in the Company Gardens, where we went through the theatre piece that the children are slowly putting together. They said that they would practice before we meet next so I am really looking forward to this coming Saturday! After lunch we went to Zip Zap circus to see some of the performers practice for a show that is up-coming. We sat and watched the performers fling themselves high in the air and also entangle themselves with strips that hung from the ceiling.

It was soon time for us to return to Blikkies. The children fell fast asleep as I drove the 20 minute journey back home. When we arrived, they sleepily clambered out of the car. Our day of adventure had come to a close.

Movement

This past Saturday we began the Theatre on the Move project. The story that is unfolding does not strike me as surprising - it is a love tragedy in a neighbourhood setting that is replete with gangsterism, drugs, and corruption. Through this project I intended to foreground themes and topics that are most relevant to them. By asking them to develop their own story and access their creative wisdom through theatre, I wanted to explore their 'internal' narratives. It did not strike me as surprising that the story which they created was one that mirrored their daily observations. It is a powerful story that for me reflects the violence that is part of their reality.

The group is now comprised of 6 children and not 9. One of the children moved back to live with his grandmother outside of Blikkiesdorp, another has other interests that come with age (she fell in love with someone, leaving behind her childhood and transitioning into adolescence), and the other we have decided will no longer be with us (he was not committed to joining in on the activities).

Deciding to exclude one of the children was a difficult choice for us to make. Even now, I feel sad. It's interesting for me - learning about boundaries, how to assert them, how to meet everyone's needs in the most peaceable of way.

This is the last official project we will be doing with the children. It will end with a wonderful exhibition of all that they have created. After that we will have another break where Maxine and I will be searching for a different site to work in. The cycle continues.