They Stand their ground 

against Gender-Based Violence 

in UKZN NDABA online

https://ndabaonline.ukzn.ac.za/UkzndabaStory/Vol9-Issue28/Gender-Based%20Violence%20Exhibit%20at%20Durban%20City%20Hall/?fbclid=IwAR02X4mnPpwYxE3u_DRF9qBz3l8_nIdfQ7oEgpuwVM5STg48KfV46XURdLM

Photo: FJ Lange 

 ARROWSA YOUTH DAY 2021

While remembering the pain and suffering of the past upon which youth day is built the youth of ARROWSA Bechet and ARROWSA management also emphasised the responsibility of today. The responsibility of creating sustainable projects that will impact future generations and the responsibility of being a positive influence on today and the future. 

Photo: Frik Lange

ARROWSA projects at ARROWSA Bechet, with Indra Congress partners across the globe, CCMS, UKZN, school programmes linked to Durban Local History Museums and Palmiet Nature Reserve and South Roots International do this in three main ways. Firstly in the process of using arts, culture and heritage for youth to build their intrapersonal knowledge and skills of where they come from, who they are now, how they relate to others and where they would like to be in the future and secondly by the collaborative art, culture and heritage products that they create which includes interpersonal knowledge and skills as they learn about other youth and through knowledge gained learn to appreciate similarities and differences and to identify and empathise. Thirdly the dissemination, exhibition or installation of their art, culture and heritage products to the public - local, national and international ensures that the collaborative messages that they create through their products is heard and seen by as many youth as possible.

                                                                        Photo: Frik Lange

                                   

                                                                          Photo: Frik Lange

On Youth Day 2021 ARROWSA Youth from three collaborative projects took part in two activities that  emphasised their belief in making a positive change. The first event, led by Mr Bheki Dlamini, emphasised the process of creating change as winners of - Miss Bechet and Mister Bechet 2021 from ARROWSA Bechet - committed to starting the creation of a vegetable garden making use of recycled materials in a creative way at Bechet High School. The vegetables once grown will contribute to the school soup kitchen feeding scheme at the school and for the disadvantaged. It was an inspiring morning of planning, creating and working! Mister Bechet, Comfort Mchunu, emphasised that they wanted to be part of projects that were sustainable.

                                         

                                                                       Photo: Frik Lange

The second event emphasised a product of the 'Scarecrow' collaborative project of ARROW-INDRA that included youth from ARROWSA Bechet in Durban, Lucknow India, Gorsehill Studios, Manchester, UK and South Roots International in Cape Flats, SA. The product is a song 'We're in this together!' that was the result of three online song-writing workshops, funded by National Arts Council and facilitated by Sue-Livia van Wyk of South Roots International. Vincent Salanji of ARROWSA management organised an interview with Ntombi Mtolo on Durban Youth Radio. Vincent and Sue-Livia were interviewed and the song was played over the radio. An exciting moment for all involved! Sue-Livia van Wyk of South Roots International made a call on the youth to be themselves and true to where they come from and are and not to try and be someone else. Vincent Salanji of ARROWSA management emphasised that Youth Day should be called Future Day and as that it should include youth coming together and devising strategies to ensure a bright future.

                                    

                                                              Photo: Kaylyn Govender

Photo: Kaylyn Govender

                                         

Photo: Kaylyn Govender

The ARROWSA youth's initiatives on Youth Day 2021 as part of their drive for sustainable change are an inspiration to all generations and give hope for a better today and future.

               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

          

 Mr Bechet 2021 coming soon

Mr Bheki Dlamini and his team at Bechet High School have been very busy with their rehearsals for the Mr Bechet: responsible men competition. We wish them all the very best!

 Phone call to the world - ARROWSA Bechet

We are excited to be part of this project with South Roots International in the Western Cape!  The project was initiated and is led by Scottish Youth Theatre and includes Indra hubs from Palestine, India and England. It is funded by British Council.

For the launch all the hubs were asked to contribute an audio interpretation of a short script that highlights Mother Earth's poor health.  

One script from each hub is posted on google map on the Phone call to the world website.  ARROWSA Bechet youth made six different versions of the script that we would like to share with you.

Let's look after our Mother... Mother Earth. 

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!