UMthombo Street Children (Durban, South Africa) were awarded a start up grant from Trust Greenbelt 2007. This grant was given to support the development of creative programmes within UMthombo, through the employment of a local artist and the establishment of arts-based activities as part of the UMthombo outreach team. The aim of the outreach team is to build relationships with children living on the street, gaining their trust and enabling them to make positive choices for their own futures.
Mxolisi Sithole is a local artist with experience working in community arts projects. He has now been in post with UMthombo for almost three months.
Our project has begun by consulting with the street children themselves and having discussions with UMthombo staff, many of whom are former street children. It is clearly important for all involved that we develop programmes that are sustainable and enjoyable and are able to address not only the children’s immediate situation (e.g. living with HIV/Aids) but also help children to develop skills for the future. We are also keen to make partnerships with other Durban-based arts organisations so that we can share skills and resources.
Our project is still in its early stages but we have found that art can be a powerful way of connecting with children on the streets, building bridges between children and the wider community and enabling them to explore some of the issues that they are affected by. We are now seeking sustainable funding so that this project can grow and develop.
If you would like to find out more information about the UMthombo Arts Project you can keep up-to-date via our blog http://umthomboarts.blogspot.com or contact Mxolisi Sithole on 031- 3379222/ mxo1ff@yahoo.com/ 0761250411. If you have any comments, questions, ideas, connections or donations we would be happy to hear from you.
By: Annabelle, 2008.
The Arts
By: Mxolisi Sithole
Empowering an individual is not about giving money, but it’s about moving that individual from dependency to contribution. From my past experience I have learned that art has an ability to move people from one place to another. Its only when you give out that you get in, let’s look at a water bottle: it’s only when you drink/ share the old water that you can refill with new and fresh water. With our minds it’s the same, in order to absorb new information you have to give out; you have to share the information you already have with other people.
This would be the reason why I enjoy running these creative workshops, because it’s not about me teaching people how to be creative. Its about us as a group sharing information, its about us as a group sharing responsibilities, its about us as a group sharing food, ideas, paints, making friends, its about us as a group taking care of each other and its about us as a group collaborating.
I personally think that in order to empower somebody you first need to connect with his or her spirit and that is what art does. That is what UMthombo does with children on the street; especially the outreach team as it builds a relationship with the children, gains their trust and enable them to make positive choices in life.
For the past 4 years I have been using art as a therapeutic/ healing tool for myself as I have bad experience with violence. I have earned a living thought art and I have helped others make positive life choices, this is because I have been involved with community-based projects and still am involved. We are hoping to achieve the same here at UMthombo with this art program and get more children off the streets, back to their communities.
H.I.V and AIDS Project
I saw a need for an H.I.V and Aids project as this virus is infecting more people, and also there are an increasing number of pregnant girls on the streets.
They needed to be educated on how to protect themselves from this killer virus and how to take care of a person who already has it. We decided we were going to team up with Create Africa South Trust to form a girls program which run every Monday, Wednesday and Friday: which educated girl’s on H.IV and Aid’s. The program is being called the YAP [Young and Positive], co- ordinated by Ms Rose Makhosi.
Through poetry, music, dance, visual arts and discussions girls were educated on issues such as:
· VCT
· What is Aids
· What is H.I.V
· Window period
· How is H.I.V spread
· Sex
· Immune System
· Pregnancy and Breast feeding
· After care
· Blood
· Your H.I.V status- what does it mean
· H.I.V negative
· H.I.V positive
· Taking action
For me this campaign gave the children a chance to contribute, as they were asked to design a slogan for themselves to go on a billboard as awareness for H.I.V and Aids for young people. They were asked if they think the Khomanani and Love life campaigns did reach out to them or not: and if they were easy to understand.
This project has been a success as the children decided that they were all going to go for an H.I.V testing. As a group they decided that the aids campaigns should go the VCT way instead of telling people about death, this because we all know that if you have Aid’s you can still live longer: its doesn’t mean you going to die tomorrow.
‘I don’t like the Love Life billboard campaign that
talks about 2010, asking if you will be there in 2010. If
you have aids there’s more to life than 2010, you
can live longer: You can live beyond 2010. We should
encourage people to go testing, not tell them
about death’
The Workshop Group
We had to make this H.I.V and Aids program more fun for the kids, they needed to enjoy this. Instead of having a long session of talking and education, we were going to be more hands on: let the children tell me what they know about the virus.
Everyone had a drawing board and paper to design for me what they think the virus looks like, these come after a short discussion with them on H.I.V and Aids: just to get them thinking. A person had to draw what they think the virus looks like according to their knowledge and gives a reason. I like this exercise because it fun and the things that come out of it are beautiful, but most importantly its puts the children into deep thoughts and train them to think critically.At first the children were scared to draw; only a few could draw. When I’m teaching I always tell people that it is far harder to not try doing the work than it is to do the work: by doing bad work you improve slowly. You can tell from the actual drawings that some of the children were still scared to draw, because some of the drawings are not as strong as the others: but they are still beautiful drawings.
Picture: Njabulo Mngadi
Njabulo Mngadi thinks the virus looks like a walking razor, because it can’t be beaten since its sharp in all sides: its cut with all the sides.
Picture by: Sosha
On the other side Sosha thinks the virus looks like a devil, because we know it is there but we still do badly: we still make love with no protection.
Picture by: Zakhele
Zakhele says it’s like a boxer because it can defeat anything coming it way.
The symbols:
From the virus design we moved on to the symbol giving. I divided the children into groups of two; each individual was to give his or her partner a symbol. As people we wear different masks every day, depending where we are at that specific time. For instance, if I’m at home I wear a mask as a son to my mom: when I’m in the gallery I put a mask of an artist. People who normally see me for the first time think I’m shy or quiet, that’s a mask I wear when I’m in a place where I don’t know anyone. When we meet people for the first time we normally judge them by the way they dressed or talk or the things they carry or even by their looks. I think our behaviour as human beings simulate those of certain animals, that why sometimes you find people calling us names like you are such a dog or sheep or you are such a cow.
For this specific project I’ve asked the kids to share personal stories with each other and from those stories each person was to develop a symbol for his or her partner in connection to the story being told.
‘My partner is like a
Demon, he likes
Doing bad things’
Picture by: Thabane
‘My partner is like a cow, he is a
very strong person but
doesn’t realize that’
Picture by: Mxo
‘I think my partner is a 28[gay], he doesn’t
like girls: I’ve never seen him with a girl’
Picture by: Malusi
‘My partner is like a PIMP
He likes flashy things
I think that what bought
him here on the streets,
he should be in school’
Picture by: Njabulo Mngadi
‘My partner is a very
serious guy and he
has answers to all
questions and problems’
Picture by: Sosha
Normally people will categorize the street children as dirty, that they are gangster’s, thieves. They are normally scared of them. Because of this most children feel rejected; they don’t feel part of the society. But while working on this art project there at the workshop, that perception changed a little: people wanted to be part of what the children where doing. People come in to watch us draw, and some even wanted to join in.
The children felt as part of the society again, they made friends with the outside world. Even small children come and join in, that is when our children had a chance to share what they have been learning with other children: taking leadership in a way.
The Art for Humanity Project
Our program didn’t just end at the workshop, we took it further to the Bat Centre to attend a program being organised by the AFH (Art for Humanity); where different schools meet up and share poetry, music, dance and visual arts. The program was meant for schools only, with the help from Bernice Stott we managed to get in as a school [UMthombo school of art they called us]. The aim of the project was:
- To teach human rights through art by helping the pupils to recognise the values and principles embedded in the artwork and to relate these to their own beliefs and attitudes towards human rights.
- To encourage the pupils to respond to the images through their own art and poetry
- To expose the pupils to excellent art with the aim of inspiring their own quest for excellence in their lives.
- To promote human rights through art.
- To promote the values within the art- freedom of expression, creativity, dignity, excellence in order to enhance personal development and artistic creativity and broad reflective thinking skills.
- To enhance and affirm the work done by partners in different field which promote children’s right and development.
I took some of our street poets and visual artists to attend this inspiring program at the Bat Centre with Sosha; I must say our kids where great. We have got talent on the streets; people might be scared of the street children because of their style of living, but deep down inside these children’s are just normal human beings who have gone through tough times and are longing for help. What I like about these children’s is that even though their stories are sad and very overwhelming they still see the funny side of what is happening to them and what they have gone through as the survivors of the street life: they are fun people to work with.
'Here’s Njabulo Mngadi our
Street poet rocking the stage at the bat centre’
The Bead working with girls
‘We hoping
To sell these beads
So we can buy clothes and food’
The girls spend a lot of time doing nothing, especially after the YAP program that we have just finished. Osaviour who works as a girl’s out- reach worker and also a former street child suggested I do something with the girls after the YAP session. I thought bead working would be great as something to start with, and it would be nice to have something to give back to our Greenbelt supporters. Beads are very easy to access and very cheap, if girls could spend their time working on them and try selling them: they could work as a source of income. Some of the girls have already managed to use this project as a source of income; they have been selling to the staff members.
‘The boys couldn’t resist
They wanted to join in, as
They saw girls were
Making money by selling
Their work to UMthombo
Staff’
The bead work program has been running three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. We are going to take this project a step further, where we will go visit lower primary schools and teach children how to made things out of beads. That is our way as UMthombo of giving back to the community and to try bridge the gap between the normal school kids and children from the streets. The street children will take leadership; they will teach the youngsters how to work with their hands.
We are going to start working with one school at Inanda Township; it’s called Iselwane L.P School. We are going to be teaming up with the project called the Room 13, which is already up and running in that school. We are hoping to get more schools, in which we will go to visit once or twice in a week. On the 18 of September 2008 we have been invited to the launch of the Room 13 art project at Inanda.
Besides the children participating we had some of our staff members joining in, and those who have supported the children by buying from them.
The Overport Group
This is one group with the youngest children; their age group is between 14 years and 17 years. They are full of energy, they like to play: especially been chased around. So I decided we take them to the Botanic gardens where we will have open space for games and chasing.
What I like about this group is that no matter what they stick together, and they are in control. We decided that no one was to bring glue inside the park, so all their stuff stayed behind in the car: that was the group ground rule.
Like any other group we started with a couple of ice breaking games, then had a little discussion on H.I.V and Aid’s. Then it was time the kids showed me what they know about the virus: draw what they think the virus look like. This one group that doesn’t waste time, not like the rest of the groups: there were not scared at all to draw.
‘We know its there but we can’t
See it, beautiful viruses’
Picture: by Lungelo
‘I don’t know what the
Virus look like, but I have
Seen a person with it’
Picture by: Nontobeko
‘Aids is like a
boxer, no matter
how rich you are
or strong you are
it will beat you’
By: Sipho
Sipho’s drawing is similar to Zakhele’s, one of the boys from the workshop. The funny thing is that I never showed it to him; let’s just say it is true that GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE.
The North Beach Group
The North Beach group normally spend their time on the beach swimming or playing beach soccer. They are always up for new challenges and they are not scared to explore, especially the girls. This art project gave them an opportunity to talk to me about their experiences on the streets, especially how the metro police treat them like animals: most of the times the metro police bring dogs to search them and take their clothes away. But that didn’t stop us from exploring. When I asked them what they enjoy doing, they said they enjoyed doing anything as long as it is not boring and it’s challenging: they are one group that get along with most groups in Durban.
The Virus
‘Aids can be
Anything ugly’
Picture by: Xolani Mthembu
‘Just like the
Sun, it hard to
See the aid’s virus’
Picture by: Thabang
‘I think it looks like a demon, well
I’ve never seen a demon: but I’m sure
It’s ugly
’
Picture by: S’thembiso
‘Every night we see different
Man with nice cars buying woman
From our streets, they are the viruses’
Picture by: Mlungisi
Special Thanks to Lindelani, Eugene, Osaviour, Donation, Jabulani, Annabelle, Sosha, Bona and all of UMthombo staff members and the children. This project wouldn’t have been a success without their help, talk of living legends.
For further information and more drawings or digital pictures contact Mxolisi Sithole.
