Young white-faced street buskers had the opportunity to expand their repetoire during The National Arts Festival due to a series of workshops.
Young white-faced street buskers had the opportunity to expand their repetoire during The National Arts Festival due to a series of workshops.
When Sakhuluntu Cultural Group teamed up with the National Arts Festival to provide workshops for these children to learn life skills as well as learn various art forms from professionals artists, the response was overwhelming.
Now that Festival is over, the children have been bitten by the creative bug and Sakhuluntu hopes to continue presenting workshops to street children throughout the rest of the year.
Sakhuluntu is a non-profit organisation which aims to teach underprivileged children life skills through participation in the arts.
They had an interest in joining the Festival as a fringe act but when Festival Director Ismael Mahomed heard about the project, he challenged Sakhuluntu to draw up a proposal and if he liked it, he would fund it. The proposal was drawn, Mahomed approved and the Art Factory was born.
The project ran over one week during the Festival where professional artists participating in the Arts Festival volunteered to help teach the children their various art forms.Juggling, puppet-making and many other skills nourished the creativity of the youngsters, and their bellies were also filled as a cooked lunch was served every day.
According to Merran Marr, chairperson of Sakhuluntu, the Art Factory project was a huge success. “Not because we produced a Broadway worthy play,” she says, “but because we managed to keep the children engaged the entire week”.
Marr was concerned that the children would just come for the meal but was surprised to see the level of commitment the children had for their work. As a result of their circumstances they were ill-disciplined and only looked out for themselves, often pushing each other around to be first in line for an orange or to be chosen to play the guitar.
But the Art Factory volunteers were patient and tried to teach the children that caring for each other is more important than looking out for yourself, helping them develop a sense of togetherness. “On the last few days the children would actually queue up, letting the smallest children go first,” says Marr. “I was astounded at how much they had grown in one week.”
While the project was successful, Marr says that there were many challenges. “The environment the children find themselves in has no continuity or containment and they are used to living hour by hour, scraping money together and spending their money hour to hour with no sense of tomorrow,” says Marr.
The goal was to help them tap into their creative selves so that they could understand their potential as individuals. By showing them the importance and rewards of commitment, they were able to work towards ultimate goals and think of the future.
They were also shown their “potential to create” as Marr says. “They know that even though they may not have money or full bellies, they still have individual potential which they can use to make something of their lives no matter what their circumstances.”
With such determination, the children developed a sense of appreciation for the rewards of hard work.
However, this is just the beginning. Sakhuluntu is facing many difficulties in its effort to continue the project.
While the children are extremely keen to attend more workshops, finding sponsorship and a venue is proving to be quite a challenge. “Most of the Art Factory children live quite far from where Sakhuluntu which is based in Extension 9, Joza and it would be dangerous for them to travel far,” says Marr.
They are now searching for a hall or any rehearsal space in Hlalani, where most of the Art Factory children live. Because most funding has been from private sponsors, publicity has mainly been through word of mouth and Sakhuluntu is finding it hard to find more funding.
If everything goes according to plan, and Sakhuluntu has enough money, they will continue workshops with the Art Factory children until next year when a new group will be formed during Festival.
They are hoping to take part in Youthfest on Heritage Day. “Sakhuluntu would like thank all previous sponsors and volunteers who gave of their time and money for the Art Factory, we appreciate it.” says Marr.
For more information please call Merran Marr on 072 237 7341.
