A fresh spring breeze greeted Sibongile and I on our return to Matatiele last week to facilitate the Njabulo ten day arts-based intervention programme.
For these ten days we were based at Manase Junior Secondary School, working with 20 children and 22 guardians using games, play, storytelling and mindfulness as our weapons of mass instruction. The long bumpy drive to the school was lined with the pretty pink and white blossoms of peach and plum trees. As spring is a metaphorical time for new beginnings and growth, the timing for our programme was perfect. The Njabulo arts-based intervention programme is a playful way to spring clean your mind, body and heart.
Ever since the moment the principal screamed with excitement at the news that we would be working at her school, the community welcome, enthusiasm and commitment has been incredible. This is a community that is thirsty. The location of the school, at the end of a long dirt road, makes it seem like it is at the end of the world. Nothing ever happens there, nobody passes by accident and like the youngest child or organism at the bottom of the food chain, they are the last to get anything. So the clowns were welcomed with open arms! Even our daily drive to the school through the rural areas was blessed with children running from houses to greet us, chanting ‘Ajukujah!’ – a funny chant from the show that has been spreading through the community like wildfire since we performed there a month ago. We call it the Ajukujah infection or injection! Once at the school we were treated like celebrities. Children crowded the door frames when the clown car arrived, calling out quotes from the show as if they had seen it a million times. And once out of the car, every child wanted to Ajukujah with you! Returning to a community so soon after doing shows makes you realise the big impression you made in the hearts and funny bones of the people. It is humbling, rewarding and very, very welcoming.
The journey with the guardians was rich. Their openness and playfulness by the end of the ten days was delightful. We had between 13 and 18 committed women who started noticing positive change in their lives by Day Two. The positive change at first was things like ‘sleeping like a baby’, ‘feeling fresh’ and noticing their usual pains were gone. These small changes make a big difference in the challenging lives these women lead. When we started working with stories, we encouraged them to tell their children stories in the evenings. The feedback showed that sometimes the stories would lead to singing, dancing and exercising together – and as a result sometimes late nights! The infectious spirit of joy and play had begun to spread into their home lives. As one of our aims is to nurture and strengthen the guardian-child relationship, we are happy when we can see that the real work is being done at home. If is often the first indication that we can step away. Our role is to lay strong foundations and act as the scaffolding to support the guardians and children as they build loving, playful relationships with strong open communication. Sometimes I feel like an elf or a faerie, sprinkling magic dust and watching it work from afar!
The journey with the children was equally fascinating and fun. At first, they were withdrawn and cautious, possibly because they were so unused to this kind of interaction and activity. It took them time to trust that there really was no right or wrong – that every idea was perfect. Even during the show they took a while to warm up and realise it was ok to laugh! Witnessing the transformation of certain children was particularly moving. There was one little boy, who seemed weighed down by headaches in the first week. With a furrowed brow, he seemed full of worry and would sit out of games. By the second week, he had become a child again. He became the first to sing, the first to dance, the first to smile. I realised once again the importance of trusting the process. The quantum leaps in confidence, openness and expression were very obvious with this group. By the second week, they were started to behave like children! This simple change was profound and moving.
As a result of the amazing community participation, Family Day was exceptional! The hall was packed with school children, teachers, community members, Petals workers and representatives from the Ministry of Social Development. Not only was it a very special occasion for the guardians and children to come together, it also became a platform for raising awareness about the work done by CWBSA and Petals, and a way of connecting people within the community. The school even prepared a programme of songs and traditional Xhosa and Sotho dancing. The hall vibrated with community spirit and joy – a day I will always remember!
Ever since the moment the principal screamed with excitement at the news that we would be working at her school, the community welcome, enthusiasm and commitment has been incredible. This is a community that is thirsty. The location of the school, at the end of a long dirt road, makes it seem like it is at the end of the world. Nothing ever happens there, nobody passes by accident and like the youngest child or organism at the bottom of the food chain, they are the last to get anything. So the clowns were welcomed with open arms! Even our daily drive to the school through the rural areas was blessed with children running from houses to greet us, chanting ‘Ajukujah!’ – a funny chant from the show that has been spreading through the community like wildfire since we performed there a month ago. We call it the Ajukujah infection or injection! Once at the school we were treated like celebrities. Children crowded the door frames when the clown car arrived, calling out quotes from the show as if they had seen it a million times. And once out of the car, every child wanted to Ajukujah with you! Returning to a community so soon after doing shows makes you realise the big impression you made in the hearts and funny bones of the people. It is humbling, rewarding and very, very welcoming.
The journey with the guardians was rich. Their openness and playfulness by the end of the ten days was delightful. We had between 13 and 18 committed women who started noticing positive change in their lives by Day Two. The positive change at first was things like ‘sleeping like a baby’, ‘feeling fresh’ and noticing their usual pains were gone. These small changes make a big difference in the challenging lives these women lead. When we started working with stories, we encouraged them to tell their children stories in the evenings. The feedback showed that sometimes the stories would lead to singing, dancing and exercising together – and as a result sometimes late nights! The infectious spirit of joy and play had begun to spread into their home lives. As one of our aims is to nurture and strengthen the guardian-child relationship, we are happy when we can see that the real work is being done at home. If is often the first indication that we can step away. Our role is to lay strong foundations and act as the scaffolding to support the guardians and children as they build loving, playful relationships with strong open communication. Sometimes I feel like an elf or a faerie, sprinkling magic dust and watching it work from afar!
The journey with the children was equally fascinating and fun. At first, they were withdrawn and cautious, possibly because they were so unused to this kind of interaction and activity. It took them time to trust that there really was no right or wrong – that every idea was perfect. Even during the show they took a while to warm up and realise it was ok to laugh! Witnessing the transformation of certain children was particularly moving. There was one little boy, who seemed weighed down by headaches in the first week. With a furrowed brow, he seemed full of worry and would sit out of games. By the second week, he had become a child again. He became the first to sing, the first to dance, the first to smile. I realised once again the importance of trusting the process. The quantum leaps in confidence, openness and expression were very obvious with this group. By the second week, they were started to behave like children! This simple change was profound and moving.
As a result of the amazing community participation, Family Day was exceptional! The hall was packed with school children, teachers, community members, Petals workers and representatives from the Ministry of Social Development. Not only was it a very special occasion for the guardians and children to come together, it also became a platform for raising awareness about the work done by CWBSA and Petals, and a way of connecting people within the community. The school even prepared a programme of songs and traditional Xhosa and Sotho dancing. The hall vibrated with community spirit and joy – a day I will always remember!
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