For all educators in the Durban area - 
please spread the word.

ARROWSA is affiliated internationally to The Indra Congress. Below is their latest newsletter.  ARROWSA is very excited about the intercultural exchange project, 'Checkpoints', that is going to happen between ARROWSA Bechet Indra group and teenagers in Cyprus, Plymouth, UK and Derry/Londonderry, N. Ireland (see the section below on South Africa and Checkpoints).  Dear Friends The 2016 Indra Congress will take place in Bethlehem during the week of the17th July.  We are guests of our dear friend Marina Barham of Al Harah Theatre and Dr Hala Yamani of Bethlehem University. We were due to hold this event in 2015 but felt we had to postpone it due to the uncertain political situation in the region.  The ongoing situation is still very volatile and is unpredictable for the foreseeable future.  However, we thought it was very important to demonstrate our solidarity with our friends and colleagues in Beit Jala, so the Congress will go ahead. The Congress, Palestine through the Eyes of Indra, will be an opportunity for practitioners from around the world, in existing and potential Indra Congress centres, to come together and share their practice, ideas and experience, especially in relation to the role of theatre and the arts in settings of protracted conflict.  There will be a wide range of workshop activities, training opportunities, sharing of performances/presentations, speakers, discussion groups and social activities.  The training will be led by members of Al Harah Theatre and members of the Palestinian Arts Organisations network.  Due to the uncertain political situation in the West Bank at this time, the invitation is open only to participants over the age of 18 years. The practitioner Congress will also include a parallel academic symposium, What’s it got to do with HE? attended by Indra group co-ordinators, academics and practitioners, and generously hosted by the University of Bethlehem.  The Symposium will discuss the role of Higher Education institutions in supporting grassroots community arts initiatives in settings of occupation and conflict. During the week of the Congress we plan to promote a series of small-scale events in each of the Indra hubs around the world, which will focus on raising awareness about Palestine.  These events will range from workshops and performances to open meetings: the plan is to explore ways of linking all these activities through digital technology.

Other News

The Indra web-site Indra has a new web-site, which has been designed by our colleagues at Study Hall Education Foundation, Lucknow in India.  We are grateful to Urvashi Sahni for hosting this development and for the technical skills of Anand Chitravanshi who has designed and built the site. The web-site (www.theindracongress.com)  sets out Indra’s Mission, provides details about the core Indra groups and wider partners in the network and promotes recent and upcoming events.  We are hoping to create a content rich site with regularly updated information and news of activities.  We are therefore encouraging participants, partners and wider friends to contribute observations, thoughts and comments to stimulate ongoing discussion and debate. Start contributing NOW!

The University of Plymouth Indra now has a formal Memorandum of Agreement with the University of Plymouth to work in partnership for mutual benefit. Indra will look to facilitate opportunities for University students and staff to engage with its international network of practitioners, theatres, universities and schools, for placements, teaching or research purposes. The University will provide opportunities for Indra to engage with staff and students and will offer some administrative and infrastructural support. Both parties will promote each other’s activities through their web-sites, newsletters and other channels. The partnership was launched in the summer of 2015 when the University generously offered us the use of The House theatre space for the whole week, free of charge.

South Africa Following the summer Congress, Alix Harris from Plymouth was invited by Mary Lange and ARROWSA to visit Durban and lead a series of physical theatre workshops for Indra participants and students at UKZN (University of KwaZulu-Natal).  A party of young people from Durban also visited Plymouth to take part in further shared, applied theatre training.

Checkpoints During the 2015 Congress co-ordinators from South Africa, Cyprus, N.Ireland and Plymouth discussed the idea of an intercultural exchange project, which would lead up to the Bethlehem Congress.  The project was initiated by Mary Lange in South Africa, who, reflecting on recent developments in her country, commented: ‘With the raising of racism's ugly head once more in South Africa, intercultural programmes locally and internationally that address negative stereotypes are essential.’ The theme of the project will be Checkpoints  and  it will ask participants to research, identify, explore, represent and discuss physical,  geographical and political checkpoints past and present in their own societies, towns  cities and countries, and how they can be challenged and overcome.  They will then share their experiences through social media and the web-site

Projects in the pipeline Bethlehem Indra Congress July 2016 An EU and EU partner country based Youth Mobility project July 2017 Athens (application to Erasmus +). An Indra UK project building a network of safe, creative spaces for marginalised young people facing growing discrimination and abuse in our towns and cities; challenging the alarming level of bigotry and prejudice emerging across the UK and Europe. Durban Indra Congress, South Africa 2018.

Bethleham awaits Indra, Namaste, David with Tim and Dawn

Images: Marina Barham (right) pictured at the 2013 Indra Congress in Derry with participants from Al Harah Theatre’s Indra group with Urvashi Sahni (centre). Young people from Beit Jala, The West Bank, in digital communication with participants at the 2015 Plymouth Congress Members of ARROWSA leading workshops and assemblies at Stoke Damerel School, Plymouth, UK. Copyright © 2016 The Indra Congress, All rights reserved. You have received this email as your details are held on the Indra mailing list . If you no longer wish to receive updates and news you can unsubscribe by clicking on the link at the bottom of the page. Our mailing address is: The Indra Congress The Old Woollen Mill 77 West Street Plymouth, Ply PL4 6 United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

ARROWSA partnership with eThekwini Local History Museum 2015 

Once more a great success!  Congratulations to Bheki!

3b National Arts Council funding for airflights

The National Arts Council funding of air tickets for the ARROWSA Indaba Congress Plymouth 2015 facilitated the training and sharing of knowledge and skills specifically regarding Applied/Community Theatre for ARROWSA facilitators, co-ordinators, facilitators and participants as well as UKZN drama staff and students who physically went to the United Kingdom and those who remained in Durban.

NAME OF PROJECT: ARROWSA INDABA CONGRESS PLYMOUTH 2015

111b

2.2.2 Personal reflections on the September trip by Tshimanga Tshiteya, Darnelle Fortune and Bhekithemba Dlamini

Tshimanga Tshiteya

“Firstly I’d like to take this moment to thank the sponsors for giving me the opportunity to have been able to attend the Indra conference in Plymouth UK.

It is so difficult for me to say what truly the highlight was because; having been able to travel for the first time in an airplane to places I was only able to dream of. That for me was the highlight. Meeting and interacting with new faces and people of colour was amazing. It was amazing to see how similar Durban was to London in terms of architecture and design, Plymouth itself shares some similarity to Durban regarding the beautiful seashore.

This trip helped me develop my arts skills;

1. I was able to develop my skills in drama and whereby it was useful to incorporate in my life as a youth.

2. I built more confidence being amongst my peers and those who were older.

3. I was able to challenge other elements in arts which I am not familiar with e.g. we were invited to audition for the Barbican Theatre doing contemporary dance.

4. I learnt to be able to use my imagination irrespective of how obscene it sounds.

I was happy to share my skills of singing and being musically talented. My peers were just as talented and enthusiastic about music so it was so easy to share our skills with one-another. It was a joy to hear about how much we had in common as young people and how difficult it is to be a youth of the 21^st century regarding different issues e.g. stress, pressure to succeed.  We were able to brainstorm ways in which to curb these issues. I was also able to share my leadership skills to help those who struggled to lead their peers.

The trip was very successful regardless of the minor challenges. I personally enjoyed every second of the trip with new ideas in mind and connections in the UK I hope to develop and teach my fellow peers here in South Africa on many aspects of my experience. Once again I am very thankful for this opportunity. And YES! I’d be very honoured to be given another opportunity to represent ARROWSA.”

Darnelle Fortune

The trip was absolutely amazing and I learned so much and had so much fun. Here are some of the highlights and important skills learnt:

-The drama workshop (at the Barbican Theatre) - The drama workshop was exhilarating. I learned so much about body language and using your whole body in theatre. We did multiple exercises including one where we were given a word and told not to 'DO' the word but 'BE' that word, it was difficult but what I took away from it is the importance and effectiveness (in theatre) of 'Being' a character rather than just 'doing' it. It was a great lesson in Physical theatre, something we did not focus on in ARROWSA.

-The dance workshop (at the Barbican Theatre) - A really intense workshop that I did not take part in but I learned a lot from watching. Dance involves so much trust not only with the partner you're dancing with, but also trusting yourself. I got to see how contemporary dance can tell a story.

-The Barbican Theatre- There's an amazing feeling you get when you stand on the stage at the Barbican Theatre, as an artist it just feels like 'home'. The theatre has such a rich history and everybody is so passionate. At one point we sat in a room full of dancers getting ready to audition. One would expect it to be very serious and intense but it was fun, we all interacted as if we've known each other for a long time and even played a game and shared jokes and laughed.

-Performing - We had come to the UK to learn and also to teach, to pass on knowledge about South African culture and heritage and we had an amazing audience that were very welcoming and participatory. We taught them a about South Africa and even taught them a few isiZulu words in a fun 'Simon says' type game. It was wonderful seeing how the children were so engaged and had so many questions. My favourite part of the performance was when I got to recite my poem titled 'I AM HUMAN' that speaks about racism, the pressures, stereotypes and judgement that come with being labelled a specific 'race'. Here it is:

I AM HUMAN

I wait for the day when I am no longer classified by race

But rather Human

A day when I don't have to check boxes and become a statistic

Statistic!

I walk around with the weight of these checked boxes on

My shoulders

Knees bent trying to stay firm on the ground

I feel like I have something to prove

Because I am a born-free

But my skin forms shackles around my hands and feet

limiting me from

reaching my full potential

We have built our systems on a hierarchy of race

And placed so much emphasis on the colour of skin

I know what it is like to feel like an outcast just because

you are

different

And it sucks

Race sucks

And no I am not ashamed of who I am or denying my

heritage

but I am not defined by my race

I will not wear the stereotypes like a strait jacket

Ironing out the creases with self-pity

And handing out teaspoons of self confidence

I am not a type

I am human

Get to know me

                            Darnelle Fortune 2015

-London- An absolutely stunning city with the most amazing architecture I've ever seen. We got to tour the city via the HOP ON HOP OFF bus and learned so much about the history of London. We got to visit The National Gallery and see famous paintings and statues and also learn a lot about the people in those paintings who helped shape the history of the country. We attended a Japanese festival and took many pictures.

-Stoke Damerel Community College- it was great seeing the youth at the college and meeting the INDRA group and interacting with them as well as performing and watching them perform. We all participated in an exercise where we were split into groups and asked to write the first word that came to mind when we hear the word 'environment'. After we all had written our words down we then had to create a piece using those words. In my group specifically, we had a homeless man as "the environment" and multiple people walking past this homeless man. One person threw dirt at the homeless man and stole his valuables (Pollution & abuse of resources), another tried to help but had a friend telling them it isn't worth it (feeling like your attempt to help the environment is futile), and the last person offered to help the man. Our aim was to make the issues understandable and more personal. The other groups also had different perspectives on the topic.

-TR2 - A big highlight of the trip was touring the amazing TR2 and getting a behind-the-scenes look at a huge part of theatre productions; The sets, the costumes, the wigs and many more. We also had a workshop with Alix which was amazing! It focused on issues of the environment. We each wrote sentences about certain issues on the topic of 'environment' and swapped pages, we then walked around the studio creating still images that related to the sentences being recited from each other's pages.

Overall I learned many great skills that helped me understand drama and dance so much better as well as techniques to better myself as an actor and poet. I'm glad I got to share my opinion on important issues such as racism and the environment and meet great people.

Bhekithemba Dlamini

 “One of my highlights was working with Stoke Damerel College - observing the structure of the school and learners.  The approximately 150 x Grade 7 learners for whom we performed were very excited and pleased with our performance.  They asked questions about our youth's challenges and how our youth cope with these. They identified with some of our challenges e.g. racism but not with issues such as teenage pregnancy.  We also worked with the Indra Group at this school. 

I learnt many skills on the trip e.g. theatrical by working with the Barbican Theatre specifically regarding exercise routines for identifying the strengths of performers before auditioning.  Through the exercises e.g. dance or drama I found that the performer could identify for themselves where their strengths lie.  The exercises that Alix and Mark used at the Barbican Theatre are skills that I will be able to transfer back to the ARROWSA Bechet group.  Skills developed were also due to visiting three theatres:  watching a performance at the Royal Theatre and participating or observing workshops at the Barbican Theatre.  I personally found it very helpful to observe and take notes in the workshops from a directing perspective.  From this I learnt directing skills specifically regarding dealing with a large group through the inclusion of discipline and structure.

Challenges faced on the trip were mostly the gelling of the group itself who come from diverse interests; Suggestions for overcoming this in the future is to focus on communication channels that will ensure respect.

The trip also resulted in intercultural exchange where we learnt from the performing groups in Plymouth and the people of Plymouth itself.  My self-confidence was also built by going on this trip and I now feel in a position to personally lead such a trip in the future.  This I believe influenced why I was chosen by eThekwini Local History Museum's to be the educator who accompanied the winners of the Passbook Competition 2015 to the Bremen Night of the Youth in November 2015."

2.2.3 Pay-it-forward

Bheki secondly was able to pay-it-forward what he had gained from the September 2015 trip to Indra Plymouth due to winning the educator to accompany eThekwini Natural History Museum’s Passbook Competition secondary school winners to Bremen in November 2015.  His selection as the winning educator was directly linked to the experience that he had gained in attending international ARROWSA Indra congresses in 2013 and 2015 that airfare were funded by NAC.  Not only did he accompany the group but he also devised and directed the performances that they presented at the “Night of the Youth” that were very successfully performed in Bremen. Mary Lange had also used her increased skills gained in July to voluntarily advise the Bremen group and Bheki in final rehearsals. Bhekithemba Dlamini will continue to pay-it-forward in his voluntary capacity as the co-ordinator of the ARROWSA Bechet project.  eThekwini Passbook Competition Bremen trip winner learners and Local History Museum Curator Mohau Qalaza and winning educator ARROWSA Bheki Dlamini (centre) &  Mary Lange at the farewell tea 2/11/2015, Kwa Muhle Museum, Durban. Darnelle Fortune, Tshimanga Tshiteya and Luthando Ngema will share their experiences with the meantime they have supported ARROWSA Bechet in the ‘55’ production through social media marketing and coverage of the event.  Darnelle further shares his talent for poetry writing by publishing this on the ARROWSA Facebook page and encouraging the participants to continue to attend ARROWSA Bechet, as he and Tshiteya did for their entire secondary school years, and to use the arts for intra and interpersonal development.

Bhekithemba Dlamini in his voluntary capacity at ARROWSA Bechet transferred skills and knowledge learnt to two groups of Durban youth.  Firstly he transferred to the ARROWSA Bechet youth who meet weekly at Bechet High School.  Specifically the directing, auditioning and movement skills gained when at Plymouth Indra and the Barbican sessions he implemented in the devised production that he directed titled ‘1955: Celebrating the history of Bechet’.  The production was performed at Bechet High on the 17^th October for school learners, the community and the general public.

4 National Arts Council funding for airflights

The National Arts Council funding of air tickets for the ARROWSA Indaba Congress Plymouth 2015 facilitated the training and sharing of knowledge and skills specifically regarding Applied/Community Theatre for ARROWSA facilitators, co-ordinators, facilitators and participants as well as UKZN drama staff and students who physically went to the United Kingdom and those who remained in Durban.

NAME OF PROJECT: ARROWSA INDABA CONGRESS PLYMOUTH 2015

Part IV

2.3. October 2015

As one of the ARROWSA youth to originally have gone with to Plymouth was unable to go to the UK due firstly to the delay in visas and secondly because the September trip clashed with her trial exams the Indra Plymouth facilitator Alix Harris was brought to work with the ARROWSA Bechet youth and University of KwaZulu-Natal Drama and Performance students (See Appendix 4). In this way the funding would also ensure that the pay-it–forward aspect of the project extended to a greater number of learners and students and facilitators within South Africa.

Alix Harris is not only an experienced facilitator and practitioner with Indra but also has her own organisation (see http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Face/story-27536583-detail/story.html).  As previously mentioned she had played a central role in the July and September logistical co-ordination and performance workshop facilitation of the ARROWSA Indaba Congress.  She stayed with Mary Lange and Miranda Young-Jahangeer in Durban and Alix’s accommodation, food and transport was in this way covered. 

ARROWSA Indaba Plymouth to Durban (written by Alix Harris)

2.3.1 ARROWSA Bechet project 5^th to 7^th October 2015 

I visited the Bechet High School on four of the days that I was staying in Durban. I delivered a workshop on physical theatre introducing the group to some of the games that we play in England and some exercises to generate some physical material. The theme that we are looking at in England is around the idea of environment. 

Alix Harris, Plymouth, works with 

ARROWSA Bechet group on chorus work, Oct 2015

The ARROWSA Bechet group identified two different aspects of environment;

Natural: One group explored the notion of planting of seeds and growth, and how we have no control over nature, but highlighting just how important nature is to us as human beings. They talked about global warming and the impact of destroying the natural things around us.

Social: Two groups played around with ideas around social environment. One group looked at the effects of drugs and alcohol, highlighting that it is has a detrimental impact on people’s lives. Lastly the other group looked at the idea of being imprisoned and sentencing, people doing extreme crimes and being sentenced for a short amount of time, they juxtaposed this with the sense of being trapped and imprisoned for unfair reasons, which led to the freedom of Nelson Mandela and positive protest.

The group responded positively to the exploration around this subject matter and also to using physical theatre. On one of the days I spent a couple of hours playing games with the young people, it was incredibly refreshing for me and reminded me just how important the idea of playing games is. The young people expressed so much joy and willingness to learn new games. They were so grateful for the new skills that I was sharing with them and it was an absolute pleasure to be able to work with them. They biggest thing I have taken back with me from working with the group is their energy when they perform and how significant dance and singing is to them and how at ease they feel with dancing and singing.

Alix Harris, Plymouth Indra, (centre) works with ARROWSA Bechet on theatre games October 2015.

2.3.2 University of Kwazulu-Natal Drama and Performance Department

I visited a performance exhibition of a project by the Applied Theatre and Architectural students, UKZN. I found the whole concept of the project really interesting from working across disciplines to help inform one another’s practice to the actual concept of the 5-7,000 people that walk the same route every day from Cato-Manor to the city centre in Durban. It was great to see some of the work that the theatre students do and the quality of their performances. 

I was able to work with some of the postgraduate students and explore again the use of games when working with communities. It was useful to see the traditional games that are played. I do wish that I could have had more time so that I was able to have a greater understanding of the games so that I could bring them back to the UK. One of the challenging things I found about the education system was the fact that the arts are a subject are not available at all schools and therefor you have to wait to study them at university or that you must do them as an extra-curricular activity. It emphasised to me just how important an organisation such as ARROWSA is to the young people in the Durban as it provides them with that space to be creative and explore through the arts.

Alix Harris, Indra Plymouth (second from right) attended the Masihambisane: Drawing Parallels -

"Shifting perceptions of spatial practice through alternative methodologies" with the School of Built Environment and Development Studies, Architecture in conjunction with the School of Arts, Drama and Performance Studies on the 6^th October 2015. She was accompanied by ARROWSA management & UKZN staff and students Luthando Ngema, Miranda Young-Jahangeer, Mary Lange, and Sana Ebrahim.

2.3.3 The Palmiet Nature Reserve.

I had the privilege of being able to look at the museum and to be taken into the Palmiet Nature Reserve by Mary as ARROWSA has cultural and natural heritage programmes linked to this site. This was very useful in terms of our theme of environment back here in the United Kingdom. It reminded me being in the nature reserve as well as seeing the “Masihambisane” performance exhibition at the University how important it is to go out into the environments that people inhabit.

2.3.4 Other observations and pay-it-forward

For me as a mixed race person my visit to South Africa had a greater impact on me personally than I had anticipated. The sense of separated communities was really apparent and being placed into the ‘Coloured’ community was a new experience for me. I am really intrigued as to how my show “Mixed up Me” would be received in South Africa, as a lot of the issues and history is similar but also very different at the same time.

In regards to the ARROWSA Bechet group, I think that it would be beneficial for them to be connected with a theatre so that there can be more skill exchanges, Mary and I have discussed this as being a possibility as a link up with us in Plymouth.

From the photographs I took in Durban are now feeding into the Plymouth Indra groups creative process, and they will be creating a section in their performance based around the environment in South Africa that I experienced and the information they are getting from communicating over Facebook with the ARROWSA groups.

It has been an unforgettable experience and I cannot wait to return for longer.   

                         

1.     Conclusion and Finances (written by Mary Lange)

The National Arts Council funding of air tickets for the ARROWSA Indaba Congress Plymouth 2015 facilitated the training and sharing of knowledge and skills specifically regarding Applied/Community Theatre for ARROWSA facilitators, co-ordinators, facilitators and participants as well as UKZN drama staff and students who physically went to the United Kingdom and those who remained in Durban.

The greatly increased rand pound exchange rate threatened to impact the project negatively but through community fund raising, Indra Plymouth provision of accommodation and food and support from ARROWSA participants’ personal funding the objectives of the project were met and the desired outcomes achieved. This project’s indaba focus will further serve as an excellent steppingstone for increased effective international partnerships based on a common focus on the promotion of peace and conflict solutions through the use of Applied/Community Theatre.  This will be pursued in preparations for a global Indra Congress hosted by ARROWSA and UKZ Drama and Performance Department in July 2018