Support performing artists who are helping hands in providing food during the lockdown Covid-19 2020! 

South Roots International including ARROWSA alumni

ARROWSA Alumni, Noluthando, Angela, Ntombi and Rachelle, who are performing arts interns at South Roots International, became part of the team that assisted in delivering food to the vulnerable in the Cape Flats during the Covid-19 lockdown. The team was led by Gloria of Balls not Guns and included Shanette, Sue-Livia, Jesse, Gracia and Nicole with the ARROWSA alumni. 

When the wearing of masks was enforced the team made 100 masks for community workers. 

The team make sandwiches, write inspiring notes and stick them on the sandwiches or loaves of bread that they distribute. Bags of fresh food products and packets of dry food products are delivered to central points in the Cape Town areas where communities women and children cook food for the vulnerable communities. Particularly the children are fed. Queues of children wait in lines that comply with social distancing requirements. 

The team started delivering to a few hundred vulnerable people in nine areas of the Cape Flats but at present are delivering to thousands in areas all over the Cape Flats. In mid-May the following places and numbers were supplied:

Food stations, numbers of people and times of delivery:
1.      Eagle Park   300 children      6  days  a week
2.      Jimsebos      200 children     3 days  a week
3.      Phumlani     300 children      4  days  a week
We cook for the above communities at the Lodge daily who have representatives who fetch it 
4.      Sea Winds   300 5 days a week     2 feeding station  two poorly equipped kitchens
5.      Cafda          200  6 days a week     2 feeding stations
6.      Parkwood.   350  6 days a week    1  feeding station
7.       New Horizon M 1     200  6 days a week  1 feeding station
8.       New Horizon  M 2   200 6 days     1 feeding station
9.      New Horizon   A       200  6 days    1 feeding station
Food delivered in the Cape Flats
10.  Hanover Park    550 6days a week      3  feeding stations
11.  Manenberg.      500  6 days a week   18  feeding stations
12.  Bontheuwel.   300 6 days a week        3 feeding stations
13.  Bishop lavis     200 6 days week          1 feeding station
14.  Portland          200 3 days a week        1   feeding station
15.  Tafelsig.          800 3 days a week        2 feeding stations
Food delivered in the Northern Suburbs
16.  Eerste River     300 6 days                  2  feeding stations
17.  Kuilsriver       200   6 days                   3 feeding stations
18.  Wesbank.      300    6 days                  5 feeding stations
19.  Vlottenburg   200  4 days a week        1 feeding station for the rest below
20.  Watsonia       200   
21.  Scottsville      350

At the end of May the number of people who make and supply the sandwiches have decreased because they are returning to work. 

 

  

ARROWSA assisted the South Roots International team in a small way by appealing for funds from the public to purchase food for distribution. New donors came forward as did some of ARROWSA's faithful supporters. We thank all of them! 

If you would like to contribute towards this ongoing work, please deposit your donation to the following bank account with the reference Food. 

South Roots International

FNB Cheque Acc 62629085798

Branch 200407

Swift Code

FIRNZAJJ

If you would like updates on the food distribution please contact us at arrowsa.artpeace@gmail.com

Happy Africa Day 2020! 

From ARROWSA we wish all our fellow Africans the best for today and for coping with and after Covid-19. In particular, we wish a happy Africa Day 2020 to our fellow Africans in the ARROWSA and  Indra Network with whom we have celebrated at ARROW and Indra Congresses: ARROWSA Bechet.

Abasha Bash in Durban, South Roots in Cape Town,  Jerry Adesewo of Arojah Royal Theatre in Nigeria

Ndeamoh Mansaray from Indra in Sierra Leone

And the young men, Denis  Swartbook, Gianni Beukes, Darrel-Ray Willmore, Smithley Araeb of Anistemi College and Training Centre in Usakos, Namibia and the Beukes leaders.  

We look forward to strengthening our co-operation on the continent and beyond for social change through the arts!

ARROWSA Legends

Luthando Ngema 

Media and Cultural Studies Department, School of Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal

Luthando Ngema is an ARROWSA legend who is an essential ARROWSA management portfolio leader who has brought in funding for ARROWSA Bechet. Luthando is a lecturer in the Media and Cultural Studies Department, School of Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal and a PhD candidate! Over the past few years, Luthando has co-chaired ARROWSA with Mary Lange. She started her enthusiastic support of ARROWSA as a CCMS, UKZN voluntary student in 2010 at ARROWSA Bechet and the Palmiet Nature Reserve programmes.  

Luthando’s commitment to ARROWSA over the years reflects in the work that is shared in numerous posts under ARROWSA Bechet, Palmiet Nature Reserve and Indra Congress labels in the ARROWSA blog.  These posts record some of the many activities and events that she has led. These include leading ARROWSA teams to National Arts Council funded Indra Congress bi-lateral exchanges with India and Plymouth hubs as well as Kalahari trips. Luthando has stepped in as one of the ARROWSA representatives in the eThekwini Local History Museums’ Passbook and Abasha Bash competitions. Despite her busy schedule as a lecturer, PhD candidate and mother, her enthusiasm, dedication and creative thinking inspire the ARROWSA participants and management! 

Luthando Ngema presents in Plymouth, United Kingdom on ARROWSA, 2015

  A hand mapping exercise led by Luthando in Lucknow, India 2014

Luthando Ngema with Aslina Madikizela at the 

ARROWSA -  Palmiet Nature Reserve programme, 2015.

Luthando representing ARROWSA at the eThekwini Local History Museum's Abasha Bash competition

.

ARROWSA Legends

Lauren Dyll, Centre for Communication, Media and Society,  University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Prof Lauren Eva Dyll has been a staunch supporter of ARROWSA since 2004! Lauren's extended family, including her mother Anne Ross, are also legends in the way that they have helped fundraise over the years. They have also provided support behind the scenes to the leader of ARROWSA Bechet, Mr Bheki Dlamini. 

Lauren is a mother of two young children and a very busy woman who is a perfectionist achiever.  She works as Associate Professor in the Centre for Communication, Media and Society and Academic Leader for Community Engagement in the School of Applied Human Sciences. Considering all Lauren's personal and professional commitments one may wonder why she continues to serve as a volunteer in ARROWSA management?

Lauren explains below that "laughter and learning" are what have kept her working with and for ARROWSA as a volunteer for so many years. (For more information on Lauren's participation linked to ARROWSA see the Community Engagement partner CCMS, ARROWSA Bechet and  Research portfolio labels of the ARROWSA blog).

"I was asked me to write about why I have stayed involved in ARROWSA for all these years. On a personal note it can be summed up in one word: laughter. When I met Mary Lange during a research field trip to the Kalahari, not only did I meet a compassionate person and dedicated researcher, but someone whose wit and fun-loving nature could make people across many different ages, cultures and races burst out in heartfelt laughter together. Not only does laughter express joy but physiologically it releases endorphins that assist in reducing stress. In this simple yet powerful way Mary demonstrated to me what ARROWSA is all about – individual and collective expression, intercultural connection and well-being. The same was achieved when I accompanied the Bechet learners, teachers and Mary on their first intercultural trip to Plymouth in the UK. So when Mary asked if I would consider volunteering as a member of the ARROWSA management committee I jumped at the opportunity. Academically, my research centres on participatory communication, issues of identity and critical indigenous research methodologies. Being involved with ARROWSA has animated the principles and processes attached to these interests. This has been through sitting on a sand dune with Vetkat Kruiper listening to him explain to Mary what his vision was for his book, Mooi Loop; Bheki’s performances that explore different perceptions of heritage with the Bechet learners, co-authoring the book, Engraved Landscape: Biesje Poort, Many Voices with academics from different higher learning institutions, archeologists and KhoeSan descendants; the DUT/ARROWSA/CCMS jewellery exhibitions where proceeds are ‘paid forward’ to invest in further learning exchanges, and now with the current Mashishing Marking Memories project that examines the potentiality of participation as a tool in post-processual archeology, as the project records the intangible cultural heritage associated with the sites via storytelling and oral interpretations by a diverse research team, as well as their contemporary educational and tourism resource potential. Two words then: laughter and learning."

Lauren and ARROWSA Bechet participants at Stonehenge, UK, 2006.

Lauren (centre) with Mary Lange and Colleen Manning (ARROWSA Bechet) 

at Dartmoor Museum, UK, 2006.

ARROWSA Bechet Portfolio

Portfolio leader Bhekithemba Dlamini

The ARROWSA Bechet Portfolio is headed by the enthusiastic and talented Mr Bhekithemba (Bheki) Dlamini.  Bheki is an ARROWSA Bechet alumni from 2005-2009 who is now employed as an assistant teacher at Bechet High School, Durban but who voluntarily leads the ARROWSA Bechet programme.  Bheki has performed at the ARROWSA Kalahari and overseas intercultural events including Indra Congresses in Plymouth and Derry, Northern Ireland. He has devised, scripted and directed a number of applied theatre productions that have been performed at numerous venues including at Bechet High for the school and the Sydenham community and that have competed in the Ethekwini Local History Museum's Abasha Basha competition.

Upcoming production devised by Bheki with the ARROWSA Bechet team 2019

In 2012-2013 he scripted and directed the devised applied theatre production: “1955” that was based on the history of a high school that was established in the apartheid era and was only for people of diverse cultural backgrounds. In 2015 he coordinated devised performances at jewellery exhibitions at Old House Museum and Durban University of Technology. Bheki led the ARROWSA Bechet group at the Indra Congress that took place in Durban in July 2017 with acclaimed song and dance performances. He has been part of a number of intercultural and artist exchange programmes between Indra Congress, Plymouth and India in South Africa and Plymouth.

Bhekithemba Dlamini and Indra Congress Director David Oddie in Plymouth, UK

The ARROWSA Bechet programme started as part of a global arts for peace inititive started by David Oddie of Plymouth who is now director of the Indra Congress. The sustainability of the programme has been made possible by Bheki's consistent dedication to the programme since he took over leadership from Mary Lange.  He is assisted by the support of the alumni, ARROWSA management, and the Bechet High School staff in particular the principal Mr Padayachee who allowed the programme to start at the school. 

                           

Mr Padayachee, principal of ARROWSA Bechet High School at the ARROWSA Bechet                                                                            prizegiving 2018.

Bheki and ARROWSA Bechet alumni who assisted with the July 2019 workshop and the production of the upcoming 'Imbewu Yesizwe: The Nation's Seed' musical production devised by Bheki and the team.

The ARROWSA Bechet programme runs as an extramural activity at Bechet High School twice a week in the afternoon and holiday workshops and is made up of approximately 40 learners of diverse cultural backgrounds.  The objectives of the  programme is the use of the arts - performance and visual - to promote intrapersonal and interpersonal social change.  Activities include the use of hand mapping, drawing, photography, dance, singing and acting that are facilitated by Bheki and guest artists. 

   

ARROWSA Bechet participants at the July 2019 workshop (Photographs by ARROWSA alumni Vincent)

Although the process of the creation of the arts is emphasised the group takes part in numerous local, national and international events as part of ARROWSA's objectives to promote intercultural understanding through face-to-face meetings.  

ARROWSA Bechet at the eThekwini Local History Museum's Abasha Bash competition 2019.

An annual prizegiving takes place at the end of the year where ARROWSA Bechet participants are encouraged with certificates and trophies for their dedicated support of the programme through sharing and developing their artistic talents.Tokens of appreciation are also awarded to members of the public who show sustainable support for the programme.

 Bheki at the ARROWSA Bechet annual awards 2018 

 Dr Lauren Dyll, ARROWSA management research portfolio and CCMS, UKZN senior lecturer, receives her ubuntu award in 2018. Lauren received the award for her sustained support of the ARROWSA Bechet programme especially through her enthusiastic and sucessful fundraising efforts since 2004.

                                                                                                        

  

RESEARCH PORTFOLIO

ARROWSA has a Research Portfolio led by Dr Lauren Dyll of the Centre for Communication, Media and Society (CCMS) University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).

The most recent research project that ARROWSA has assisted in took place in Lydenburg /Mashishing, Mpumalanga, South Africa. See the article below written by Dr Lauren Dyll.

 

The Marking Memories project is one of the projects that characterises this research and community engagement partnership. Dr Mary Lange is instrumental in the Mashishing project as an Arts, Culture and Heritage specialist, is the ARROWSA chairperson and is a CCMS Honorary lecturer. Dr Lauren Dyll is the project leader, senior lecturer at CCMS and is head of the research portfolio for ARROWSA.

On 4 June 2019 Dr Mary Lange, Nongcebo Ngcobo and Dr Lauren Dyll set out for Mpumalanga to conduct a preliminary field trip for the research project, “Marking memories: pre-industrial to contemporary, north of the Garib River and west of the Lembombo Mountains”. The project aims to operationalise indigenous knowledge systems in a diverse contemporary South African society by the inclusion of diverse African languages, and comparisons of past through to present engravings found in two different regions of South Africa.  Engravings can be considered markings of identity. In order to foreground the idea of living heritage and dynamic identities an important component of the project is to document the multivocal, intercultural readings of the local rock engravings by members of a diverse research team that includes academics, local professionals (teachers and museum staff) and local community members. 

Also of interest to the project are the ways in which people in Mashishing today, use markings for their personal or community identity. Interesting discussions emanated both from the teacher’s workshop facilitated by Dr Mary and the interviews Nongcebo conducted with Busisiwe Ngwane (a local teacher) and several museum staff. Nongcebo, who is supervised by Dr Lauren, is writing her Masters within the broader project. Her topic assesses the potentiality of participation within the Mashishing Marking Memories project from a culture-centered approach. JP Celliers, Lydenburg Museum curator, spent two days with Dr Mary, Nongcebo and Dr Lauren. They visited the museum itself, as well as the ‘Bokoni City’ that includes remnants of the Late Iron age stonewalled homesteads of the Koni people – a farming community who lived in Mpumalanga between 1500s- 1820s.

(L-R): Ngcobo , Celliers and Dr Mary speak to Busisiwe Ngwane about topics of heritage in the school curriculum. This was at the Lydenburg museum.

They also did a recce of the Boomplaats Rocks Art site that reveals direct evidence of how the Late Iron Age Bokoni farmers lived and organised their living space – many engravings depict the typical Nguni settlement patterns. Although the engravings’ authorship and subject matter is becoming clearer, its meanings and motivation for its creation remain poorly understood. Mary, Nongcebo and Dr Lauren are grateful to Lydenburg Museum staff for their warm hospitality and insightful couple of days.

   

Embarking on the 21 June 2019

Marking Memories Mashishing Project 

Photo by JP Celliers Photo by Mary Lange Photo by Lauren Dyll

In photo:

 

(L-R) Dr Lauren, Dr Mary and Ngcobo admire a large stone engraving 

Dr Lauren and Celliers at stone wall settlement

(L-R) Ngcobo, Dr Mary and Celliers in a discussion 

Further examples of ARROWSA Research Portfolio projects are included in the 2017-2018 report below written by Dr Lauren Dyll.

ARROWSA (Art, Culture & Heritage for Peace) Research Report

1 April 2017 – 31 March 2018

Publications:

The following publications includes data from ARROWSA-related research projects.

Dyll, L. (2018) Indigenous environmental knowledge and challenging dualisms in development: observations from the Kalahari, Development in Practice, 28(3), 332-344. DOI: 10.1080/09614524.2018.1438368.

Lange, M.E. (2016) Marking memories: indigenous north of the ! Garib River and contemporary in Westville, South Africa, Critical Arts, 30:6, 855-876, DOI: 10.1080/02560046.2016.1263218.

Lange, M & Ngema, L. (2017) Arts as a resource for reconciliation, ARROWSA in South Africa, WUMEN BAGUNG Communication for Development and Social Change Bulletin, RMIT.

Conferences:

The following presentations includes data from ARROWSA-related research projects.

Dyll, L. (Nov 2017) Attended and presented a paper at the Consuming the Environment conference, at Gavle University (Sweden), “Indigenous environmental knowledge and challenging dualisms in development: two Kalahari case studies”.

Action research

Continued action research on the Palmiet Nature Reserve and Bergtheil programmes (details in other portfolio report sections)

Indra Congress / symposium preparations

Preparations for Indra Congress Research Symposium (to be held in July 2018), facilitated by Miranda Jahanger (ARROWSA/ Drama and Performance Studies).