The Sunday News
Raisedon Baya
EVERY time I sit and think about arts education, especially going into schools and working with students the words of Richard W Riley commenting on arts education come to mind. This is what he said about arts education:
“I believe arts education in music, theatre, dance, and the visual arts is one of the most creative ways we have to find the gold that is buried just beneath the surface. They (children) have an enthusiasm for life, a spark of creativity, and vivid imaginations that need training — training that prepares them to become confident young men and women.”
Working with students has always been an exercise in discovery. We have discovered so much gold — nuggets buried on the surface just waiting to be discovered. There is so much talent in schools and among students — talent in music, acting, poetry, dancing and even writing.
For me the first discovery was realising that students actually speak much better for themselves than adults — yet half the time we want to ignore this fact. I had a personal experience not so long ago. It was almost a rude awakening. I work with a group of young creatives and every time we went for an event I always spoke on behalf of the group.
One day I was down with flue, voice almost gone, and one of the girls asked to speak on behalf of the group. I was nervous. I didn’t know what she was going to say. She went on stage, calm as a cucumber, and delivered a speech that left me stunned. It was far much better than all the speeches I had given about our little project. From that time I have always believed that young people speak better for themselves.
The concept around high schools drama competitions, which Intwasa Arts Festival, with the support of Plan Zimbabwe has been running for years now is simply based on the idea of empowering students to speak for themselves.
In advocacy language we could call it giving students a voice or rather amplifying their voice through the arts in general and drama in particular. From the beginning, which is many years ago, the idea has always been to use the arts as an advocacy tool for children’s rights.
Each year we have picked a theme, a critical issue in the community the students come from, and let the students run with it using drama and the results have been amazing.
The creativity and imagination has been totally overwhelming. In their creative ways the students continue to tell us that adults have failed them. Their imitation of adult life and adult characters is always sad and hilarious, in it one sees how the students perceive and have come to judge adults.
They see most as failures. So having failed them the only thing adults can do is give them space and opportunities to speak and teach others how to do it right.
From year one students have been able to deal with a number of issues such as children in conflict with the law, child marriages, and girls getting second chances after getting pregnant while at school, children living with disability and their rights to and access to schools.
Throughout the years students, having gone through some workshops and training, have been very articulate about the issues. They have been very clear about what they think needs to happen to them and their lives.
While taking part most of them have come out empowered and with a better understanding of children’s rights and basic tenants of advocacy.
High schools drama competitions have not just been about entertainment; they have not been about meaningless dance, singing and action on stage but more about participation and empowerment.
Thousands and thousands of children have actively participated in the competitions by creating the stories and acting them.
More have been reached as audiences — watching the plays and sometimes being given to dialogue around the issues. The competitions have been a children’s platform and some of the children have used it to showcase their skills and shine.
This year’s theme for drama focuses on the boy child for a change. It seeks to encourage boys to help in the empowerment of the girl child. Boys helping girls shine.
The objective is to encourage the boy child’s participation in push for the girl child’s empowerment. The hope is for boys to find space and motivation to be part of the push for the empowerment of the girl child.
Also this year the festival is revisiting the issue of child marriages, not through drama but poetry. This is under the 100 girls 100 voices initiative. The focus is on child marriages, either forced or arranged.
The message is simple. End child marriages and stop sexual offences against girls. Although there is no difference between forced and arranged marriages the attitude of the campaign is that every child marriage is a forced one.
The positive message that should echo throughout is that every child should be allowed to develop and reach their full potential. Our communities should be constantly reminded that girls are not brides and that they should be allowed to grow and reach their full potential.
