Enjoy our video of the ARROWSA, South Roots Int. production 

Despite that there is Joy!

This video is of the musical community theatre production "Despite that there is joy!"

The production is supported by the National Arts Council South Africa, ARROWSA, Bechet High, South Roots Int. (SRI) and UZKN Dept of performing arts. All songs and music included in the video are original and were devised and composed by Sue-Livia van Wyk, SRI. in collaboration with ARROWSA and creatives in the organisations and institutions mentioned above. Lighting was done by Nicole Sacco, SRI and the slide show created by Shanette Martin and operated by Angela de Fava, SRI and ARROWSA alumnus. The musicians in this production included Sue-Livia van Wyk on guitar and Njabulo Nxumalo, ARROWSA, Khwezi Mngomezulu, ARROWSA and Gracia Nicholls, SRI on drums. The film is introduced by Bheki Dlamini of ARROWSA who leads the ARROWSA Bechet group. The production also features Gracia Nicholls, SRI, and her original poem "Brilliant Black Beauty". The final version of this video was edited by Shanette Martin of South Roots Int. The video footage was by Shanette Martin of SRI and Vincent Salanji of ARROWSA. It builds on two previous ARROWSA projects - "Arts and Mental Calmness" supported by National Arts Council and "Despite that" supported by the British Council. These projects and "Despite that there is Joy!" were managed by Mary Lange of ARROWSA and coordinated by Bheki Dlamini, ARROWSA Durban, Shanette Martin, SRI, Cape Town and Alix Harris, Beyond Face, United Kingdom. The production of Despite that there is joy! is the result of a collaboration of directing and performance by ARROWSA management, ARROWSA Bechet, ARROWSA alumni and South Roots International creatives from Durban, KwaZulu-Natal and Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. A film "Despite that" was included in the production and was the result of a collaboration between creatives from ARROWSA management and alumni, Durban, South Roots Int., Cape Town and Beyond Face, United Kingdom.

Despite that there is joy! 

ARROWSA presents a musical production at UKZN Square theatre, Howard College Durban on Saturday 10th December at 2pm!

Join us at this uplifting musical including original songs and dances created by 

the ARROWSA teams with South Roots Int. (SRI) 

directed by 

Bhekithemba Dlamini 

(ARROWSA management Performing Arts)

assisted by 

Sue-Livia van Wyk (SRI musical director) 

Shanette Martin (SRI technical director) 

Gracia Nicholls (SRI performer)  

Nicole Sacco (SRI performer)

 Vincent Joseph Salanji (ARROWSA management Visual Arts) 

Sethe Ntando (UKZN Drama and Performance)

Lizwi Moyana (UKZN Drama and Performance)

Monique Mukendi (ARROWSA alumni)

Njabulo Nxumalo (ARROWSA alumni)

Nkanyezi Vilakazi (ARROWSA alumni)

Sanele Madlala (ARROWSA alumni)

Sfiso Langa (ARROWSA alumni)

Sindisiwe Precious Mkhize (ARROWSA alumni)

administrative assistance by

Luthando Ngema (ARROWSA Management Chairperson)

Mary Lange (ARROWSA Management Fundraising)

Miranda Young-Jahangeer (ARROWSA Management Creative Arts)

Lauren Dyll (ARROWSA Management Finance Executive)

supported by 

National Arts Council

UKZN Department Drama and Performance Studies

 

 Despite that... Song (click on title to go to the ARROW SA YouTube video)

Youth from Durban, ARROWSA and Cape Town, South Roots Int. collaborated with Beyond Face in the UK on the co-creative project Despite That... This video is of the Song "Despite That" co-created by the artists produced by Sue-Livia van Wyk of South Roots Int and including singers from ARROWSA Durban, SRI and Beyond Face. The video was filmed and edited by Shanette Martin of SRI, Vincent Salanji of ARROWSA and Dan Martin of Beyond Face. With thanks to the British Council.

 

Despite That Film  (click title for link to the film)

Join ARROWSA Durban, South Roots Int. CT and Beyond Face, UK creatives in celebrating the process of their co-creation project Despite That!  

Creatives from ARROWSA, South Roots International in South Africa and Beyond Face in the United Kingdom came together in an  online and face to face meeting to collaborate on a project called Despite That.

At the heart of the project they explored perceptions of each other and themselves and co-created this film to share with the world.

The film recognises that each individual has challneges based on where they live, however we can find joy in connection and shared stories Despite That!

Editors -  Dan Martin, Shanette Martin and Vincent Salanji

Coordinators - ARROWSA Durban, Bheki Dlamini, South Root Int. CT, Shanette Martin, Beyond Face, UK, Alix Harris

Original song co-created by the team and produced by Sue-Livia van Wyk of SRI.

Overall project management Mary Lange of ARROWSA.

Thanks to the British Council for making this project possible

Thanks to ARROWSA and South Roots Int. and Beyond Face management and social media teams , Gracia Nicholls, Tamera Heron and Vincent Salanji for the input and support

Thanks to Sana Bella Ebrahim of ArtSigns Visual for the SASL

Thanks to Bechet High School for the use of their venue 

Thanks to Bergtheil Museum, Durban LHM for the use of their venue

Available on 07/07/2022 on 

ARROW SA YouTube

 

 Phone Call to the World - ripples created

As the Phone Call to the World project, led by Scottish Youth Theatre and funded by the British Council, draws to a close the ripples created by the project are felt in the South African hubs that were led by ARROWSA: ARROWSA Bechet Durban and South Roots Int. Cape Flats. 

The project came to a close with three online sessions for youth selected by each participating country. These youth were selected as Green Ambassadors. Lisa Allen of Indra at Home in Manchester, facilitated that Home ran the Phone Call to the World, Green Ambassador sessions HOME Manchester (homemcr.org) The youth that represented ARROWSA Bechet reflected on the sessions as follows:

"My Green Ambassador workshop experience was really amazing - Learning how to work with other people from around the world and how our countries are experiencing the same climate change challenges. We came together to create ideas how to help limit the increase in climate change and to create projects which was amazing and inspired me!" Monique.

"The whole week of the workshop was very informative and in my perspective a huge success. Everybody's input and ideas were amazing and I absolutely enjoyed working with everyone." Nicole.

ARROWSA and South Roots Int. (SRI) are both now involved in new projects that were inspired by our participation in the Phone Call to the World environmental project. Both organisations are also continuing the environmental work that was started during the project e.g. ARROWSA continues to nurture their vegetable and cultural garden and have plans to extend their mural. 

SRI has taken the cleaning of the dam on the doorstep into their own hands as the authorities have done nothing to clean it up despite being alerted to the negative environmental impact.

PCTW TV Monitor They stand their ground installation

Tv monitor added to the They stand their ground against gender-based violence exhibition

As part of Phone call to the world project a tv monitor was added to the They stand their ground against gender based violence exhibition hosted at the Old Court House Museum, Durban Local History Museums. ARROWSA chair Luthando Ngema  met the Durban Local History Museum staff at the exhibition and they discussed the importance of the exhibition. Videos of original work created by ARROWSA Bechet and South Roots International youth that links to the exhibition is played on the tv monitor. The tv was funded by the British Council as facilitated by Scottish Youth Theatre.

#phonecalltotheworld #togetherforourplanet #reverberation #creation #artforsocialchange

Dance movement Come Closer PCTW

ARROWSA youth, Angelique, Zainub, Sinenhlanhla and Aleze create a dance-movement to an original song 'Come closer' created in workshops with ARROWSA youth and South Roots International creatives during the Phone Call to the World October 2021 workshops in Durban. The song workshop was led by Sue-Livia van Wyk and is sung by Monique Mukendi, Noluthando Shandu, Sphelele, Sue Livia van Wyk and Intomibikile Khena. The song is a creative response to environment issues and is a song of inclusivity of all people - calls us to come together, inviting all to the table, and take note of what is happening. The project was led by Scottish Youth Theatre and funded by British Council. Filmed by Vincent Salanji of ARROWSA. Edited by Vincent Salanji of ARROWSA and Shanette Martin of South Roots International. The sound engineer was Brendan Nicholls

 

David Oddie, founder of ARROW and Indra,  and former director writes of the passing of  Archbishop Emeritus Tutu                     and how he influenced the beginnings of  ARROW.    The latest news from The Indra Congress  The Indra Collective A network of artists, educators and others sharing a commitment to use the arts as a resource for conflict transformation and to help young people navigate their way through challenging situations and settings. Dear Friends of Indra Desmond Tutu.  Died Dec 26th 2021   Desmond Tutu was the  inspiration for the  original ARROW programme (Art: a Resource for  Reconciliation Over the World) in 2003.  His courageous, deeply moral stance against apartheid  in South Africa made him a legend in his own lifetime, his voice reverberating around the world  denouncing racist injustice. He was willing to put his life on the line again and again in standing  up for what he believed was right.  He supported the BDS campaign as a non-violent means to  enable racist South Africa wake up and become aware of the self-defeating stupidity of apartheid,  as well as its immoral foundations and practice. After the collapse of the apartheid regime, President Mandela asked him to lead the Truth and  Reconciliation Committee, which involved Tutu listening day by day, sometimes in floods of tears,  to the stories of people whose lives had been cruelly devastated.  For Tutu, reconciliation was not  a simple, easy letting go, it was a profound struggle which understood that acknowledgement and  acceptance were  the first but necessary steps in moving forward. The Truth and Reconciliation hearings provided a platform for deep listening, for the sharing of  people’s stories and experiences of the apartheid years.  This initiative inspired the vision and founding  intention of ARROW; to explore how the arts could provide a non-violent resource for reconciliation  and conflict transformation.  One of the proudest days of my life was the opening of the Desmond Tutu Centre on the campus of  what is now Marjon University. Although Tutu himself was unable to attend, Mary Lange and some  of the ARROWSA group went to Cape Town to interview ‘the Arch’, a memorable experience for them  all. The management of Marjon at the time had understood the symbolic relevance of Tutu in relation  to the Marjon mission – an understanding, sadly, not shared by ensuing administrative regimes. In later years Tutu’s moral voice still echoed around the world.  He was deeply distressed on visiting  Israel and Palestine, commenting ‘that at least the white apartheid regime wanted us for our labour’.   As years earlier he had supported the BDS campaign in South Africa, he now voiced his support for  the BDS campaign in Palestine.  As he memorably put it, ‘to be neutral in a situation of injustice is to  choose the side of the oppressor.’ As well as the serious intention to provide a platform for sharing stories, celebration and fun have  been major components of various ARROW/Indra Congress events over the years; resonating with  Tutu’s infectious laughter and irrepressible humour, a trait he shared with that other icon of spiritual  and moral courage, the Dalai Lama. The world is indeed a better place for Desmond Tutu living here. David Oddie Dec 2021

 Greetings from ARROWSA Chair 

Luthando Ngema

Seasons greetings to all my ARROWSA family and friends! 2021 was an eventful year and I am so grateful to be part of ARROWSA with all the great talent that ARROWSA cultivates. 2022 please be a happy new year. We just want to dance, move, perform and nurture our new ARROWSA garden. Thank you for all your hard work. 

Ukhisimuzi omuhle.

Heritage Day Vegetable garden ARROWSA PCTW

ARROWSA Bechet youth started their vegetable and cultural garden on South Africa's Heritage Day. The project is thanks to funding from National Arts Council for the vegetables and Phone Call to the World British Council funding via Scottish Youth Theatre for the arts materials.  The garden is an ongoing process and was continued in the Phone Call to the World ARROWSA and South Roots International week's workshop and production in the first week of October 2021. The video was filmed and edited by ARROWSA Vincent Salanji of Vinnies Vision.

#artsforsocialchange #phonecalltotheworld #COP26 #togetherforourplanet #theclimateconnection @arrowsa.artpeace @scottishyouththeatre @britishcouncil 

In this together

In this together video!!

by ARROWSA featuring Sue Livia van Wyk

Including art works by ARROWSA, South Roots International and Indra Congress Gorse Hill Studios

Including video footage by Shanette Martin and Vincent Salanji

Mouth organ played by Felipe Pozo of Indra Congress Shef

Edited by Devin Carter

 Celebrating our natural and cultural heritage

Heritage Day 2021 

 

ARROWSA Bechet as part of the Phone Call to the World project will create a vegetable and herb garden that celebrates our diverse use of plants for food and wellbeing. The garden containers will be from recycled objects.

#phonecalltotheworld #togetherforourplanet #theclimateconnection #creation #reverberation @scottishyoutheatre @britishcouncil

THEY STAND THEIR GROUND

They Stand Their Ground video

by Vincent Salanji ARROWSA management

partially funded by National Arts Council and including ARROWSA partners South Roots International, Cape Flats and SHEF, India.

The culmination of the Scarecrow project that ARROWSA led with Indra partners South Roots International in Cape Town, SHEF in India and Gorse Hill Studios in Manchester, UK culminated in They Stand their Ground against Gender Based Violence exhibition of large figures made from recycled materials that each hub made. Vincent Salanji of ARROWSA narrates this video that includes the voices of some of the project youth and their ideas on the impact of the project.

Save our planet #mycalltotheworld

My  call to the world 

by ARROWSA Bechet youth 

Part of My phone call to the world led by Scottish Youth Theatre and funded by British Council

#myphonecalltotheworld #COP26 #togetherforourplanet #creation # reverberation #theclimateconnection

New ARROWSA Chairperson - 

Ms Luthando Ngema

ARROWSA (Reg 088-058 NPO) is very happy to announce that Luthando Ngema is the new ARROWSA Chairperson. Ms Ngema started as a student researcher from CCMS, UKZN and then volunteer at ARROWSA Bechet. In 2010 when ARROWSA registered as an NPO Ms Ngema was appointed as one of the ARROWSA management where she has served ever since. 

Some of the ARROWSA - Indra international arts for social change exchanges that Ms Ngema led include the trip to Study Hall Educational Foundation, Lucknow, India 2014 and to Indra Congress, Plymouth in the UK in 2016.  She was also integral to the Pathways Indra Congress in Durban in 2018.  The use of hand mapping for personal change has been developed and refined by Ms Ngema both locally and internationally.

Luthando Ngema has also been active in ARROWSA's culture and heritage programmes over the years. When a student, Ms Ngema volunteered as an assistant on ARROWSA culture and heritage projects with the Palmiet Nature Reserve and once qualified she continued to represent ARROWSA at collaborative functions and events between ARROWSA and Local History Museum projects such as the Passbook and Abasha Bash competitions. Culture and heritage national tours that she has been part of include Kalahari exchanges.

Ms Ngema has also succeeded in raising funds for certain ARROWSA projects and has published research on ARROWSA arts for social change (see Pathways Indra Congress: Cultural Literacy for Social Change )

and culture and heritage for social change (see  Cultural and natural heritage school programmes and social change. )

Luthando Ngema is a lecturer in Media at the School of Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal. She is also a researcher, teacher and social media expert and one of the project leaders for the Fukamisa Intsha film project - community engagement for UKZN. She is a PhD candidate, Media and Cultural Studies UKZN. 

We wish Luthando Ngema all the very best in her new role at ARROWSA!

               They stand their ground               against gender-based violence!

It was an exciting morning when partners from the ARROWSA Durban team of the They stand their ground against gender-based violence came together at the installation in Durban City Hall foyer. This is the Durban leg of the ARROW-INDRA SAUKINDIA part of the project. ARROWSA Bechet learners who are based at Bechet High School created two textile 'people' from recycled materials with the assistance of Mary Lange, ARROWSA chair and Bheki Dlamini, ARROWSA performance and schools portfolio leader and an educator at Bechet High School.  

The ARROWSA Bechet participants contribution was guided by three ARROWSA Bechet leaders namely Casey Spinner, Sne Mbisi and Mary Tsheteya. Banners in the installation included images from the South Roots International contribution to the project that will be exhibited in Cape Town. One banner included an image of Naledi.

The textile people from recycled materials were inspired by the work of Maggi Squire (see her instagram page @maggisquire) and one banner included an image of Maggi's She who stands her ground created by Maggi during lockdown. Maggi hosted an online workshop with the ARROW-INDRA participants from ARROWSA Bechet, Local History Museums and CCMS, UKZN from Durban, South Roots International from Cape Flats, Touchstones Rochdale and Gorse hill Studios in Manchester, UK and Study Hall Educational Foundation in Lucknow, India.  Maggi's workshop formed part of the ARROW-INDRA SAUKINDIA 'Scarecrow' project.  

The 'Scarecrow' project stimulated creative thinking of us as a community guarding each other against gender-based violence in the same way as a scarecrow guards the crops from predators.  ARROWSA Bechet created two textile 'people' from recycled materials such as empty dog food containers, old curtains, brooms and place mats. They created two 'people' one named Deli who represents abuse in the domestic space, either of wives, girlfriends and partners or of domestic workers. The other 'person' is Thanaka who represents the LGBTQ+ community, particularly boys and young men who are often ignored in discussions on gender-based violence. 

The installation is interactive as visitors are invited to add words of support to Deli and Thanaka. There is also a book where comments may be written down by visitors. Already the pages are filling with comments. Join us in standing against gender-based violence by visiting the installation at the Durban City Hall foyer - at the entrance to the library.

Thanks to National Arts Council for funding towards this project

Thanks for assistance with the installation to Local History Museums, DAG and Author Jewellers.

Photos by Frik Lange

          

SCARECROWS IN SOLIDARITY

  

ARROWSA- INDRA SAUKINDIA 

Scarecrow project - Participatory research

The youth in the Scarecrow arts for change project did their own research once more, to find out what the highlights of the project were - what art forms were used in these highlights and what social change it inspired?  The majority of the youth identified the vibrant creative response of South Roots International and how they related the 'scarecrow' project to a need for solidarity against gender-based violence. Particularly the original song of Sue-Livia and Selby "I am here for you" was identified as an impactful creative response. The focus on identity and us needing to empathise and see ourselves in others was focused on in their 'scarecrow' creations. The song and creations are included in the video below created by South Roots International. The project is partially funded by National Arts Council.

 ARROWSA and SRI Phone call to the world project building on South to North Climate Change project

              

       Gracia Nicolls of South Roots International leads the propagation project.

ARROWSA and South Roots International continue on their drive to address our negative imprint on our environment. ARROWSA's school and community projects in collaboration with the Palmiet Nature Reserve and the Bergtheil Museum, Durban Local History Museums, have since before 2004 emphasised the education on the importance of our fauna and flaura. These programmes also reflect on how our present consumer plastic age has moved away from sustainable use of our fauna and flora as demonstrated by previous inhabitants of the Westville area. 

The 2020 National Arts Council funded South to North Climate Change project that included ARROWSA and South Roots International in South Africa and Rochdale Indra and Gorsehill Studios in the UK resulted in greater awareness, particularly of the South African youth, on the positive role that they could play in nurturing our mother earth.  That project has germinated into an invitation by Scottish Youth Theatre for all the partners plus other Indra hubs in Palestine and India to join in a British Council funded creative response to COP26 namely the Phone call to the world project. 

ARROWSA and South Roots International youth have already honed their energy into this project partially thanks to National Arts Council funding. ARROWSA recorded not one but a number of versions of the emergency call script that Scottish Youth Theatre provided for the launch of the project on Earth Day. The isiZulu version appears on the projects website WWW.PHONECALLTOTHEWORLD.ORG if you go to the pin at Durban. South Roots International's creative response to the emergency script is available at the pin in Cape Town. 

The ARROWSA Bechet and ARROWSA alumni who are with South Roots International met for a zoom meeting in the last week of April to catch up and start preparing the ground for the new chapter of their joint project that will make use of the arts for social change regarding the environment.

Mr Bheki Dlamini leads the ARROWSA Bechet group zoom catchup and looking forward with ARROWSA alumni now at South Roots International.

The ARROWSA Bechet alumni - now at South Roots International team are led by Noluthando Shandu in a zoom catchup and looking forward with ARROWSA Bechet.

As part of the project South Roots International team will be driving up the East Coast to Durban in the September/October holidays. During this trip they will visit communities and plant Portulacaria afra / Spekboom along the route. The South Roots team has already started propagating their spekboom for the trip. Also see www.arrowsa.org.za/projects/short-term  All very exciting!

ARROWSA 2006

ARROWSA website to be launched soon! 

Funded by National Arts Council  

Looking forward to the video below appearing on the ARROWSA website about ARROWSA's beginnings. The video was created by ARROWSA alumni, Africa Ngcobo, about his trip to the UK 

with ARROWSA in 2006 that included arts activities and a theatre performance and the impact that 

it all had on him.