Foundation for = Community Dance - Action In Namibia: A Shared Experience

Action In Namibia: A Shared Experience

Summary:
Animated,=20 Spring 2007. Wieke Eringa, Director of Education = and=20 Learning at Northern Ballet Theatre shares her=20 experience of dance working alongside an HIV and = AIDS=20 education programme in Namibia

Date Posted:
18 Jul 2007

Author:
Wieke=20 = Eringa

In September 2006 I had the fantastic opportunity to work on = a=20 community (1) arts project with Ombetja Yehinga Organisation = (OYO,=20 Aids Ribbon) a welfare organisation in Namibia (2). I was = seeking an=20 experience that would let me put my day-to-day life at = Northern=20 Ballet Theatre (NBT) in a new light and would let me = re-evaluate our=20 work, and our approaches to working with communities. More=20 importantly, I wanted to help out my friend Philippe, the = director=20 of the OYO, and his staff and young people who have very = limited=20 opportunities in Namibia to experience choreography and = creativity=20 through dance.

Ombetja=20 Yehinga Organisation
OYO aims to raise awareness = about=20 AIDS and HIV through the arts with young people. Director Dr = Philippe Talavera has led the organisation through an = impressive=20 series of arts projects, from photography, film, fashion, = theatre,=20 creative writing, music and dance to CD production. Since = gaining=20 status as NGO (3) three years ago, Ombetja has increased its = role as=20 an arts organisation, regularly producing high profile arts = events=20 of professional calibre that receive much national and = international=20 recognition (4). One unique aspect is that neither Philippe = nor his=20 staff have any formal training in the arts yet will not shy = away=20 from trying anything new that inspires them artistically. = The work=20 itself is usually very challenging and exciting, = transcending=20 preconceptions of 'issue based' work. Ombetja tackles issues = related=20 to AIDS with courage and tenacity - encouraging frank debate = in a=20 country in which it is not common to face taboos around = sexuality.=20 With their quarterly magazine OYO Young, Latest and Cool = they have=20 addressed topics such as gender, sexual orientation, = multiple sexual=20 partners, rape, domestic violence, teenage suicide and are = currently=20 producing an issue on alcohol and drugs. The openness and = frankness=20 in these magazines is extremely refreshing and I can't help = thinking=20 that young people in the UK would enjoy reading them as much = as=20 their Namibian counterparts and that this approach is = interesting to=20 those dealing with teenage pregnancy and the steep rise in = sexually=20 transmitted Diseases in Britain today.

Empowerment: the voice of young=20 people
Much of OYO's work is driven and shaped by = young=20 people, referred to as learners or youth, even most OYO = staff are=20 themselves young people on a steep learning curve. For = example, the=20 OYO magazines are predominantly made up of the letters and=20 contributions from learners themselves. This is especially=20 empowering to the learners because they have very little = access to=20 any published materials never mind being published = themselves. Each=20 new topic is chosen and researched by the OYO youth groups=20 throughout the country and then OYO staff collect written = material=20 from learners in schools. Another example of this is the = creation of=20 the Hostel monologues (5) that were developed by a team of = young=20 writers and performed by four young actors trained by OYO = throughout=20 2006. In other disciplines this facilitatory approach is = less=20 evident, for example in dance, and this is one of the things = I was=20 hoping to address.

The=20 National Tour
One of the annual features on the = OYO=20 calendar is the national tour of a show that is produced by = three or=20 four different youth groups and performed during one week. = This=20 year's tour took place in the North of Namibia near the = border with=20 Angola. After one weekend of rehearsals the show was = performed in=20 villages, secondary schools, a township orphanage and even a = prison.=20 As well as condom and femidom demonstrations (even performed = in=20 various different languages simultaneously) the one-hour = show=20 included 20 dances, songs and a drama piece. The pieces were = about=20 domestic violence, loss of hope, celebrating life, = celebrating=20 sexuality, pride in your country and about taking = responsibility and=20 making your own choices. 43 performers between the ages of = 16 and 25=20 performed nine shows for over 5000 people. Audiences were = completely=20 rapt and would either hang on every word or squeal and = scream their=20 way through a show. Especially the demonstrations and drama = pieces=20 were met with overwhelming enthusiasm and joy.
Dance=20 training and choreography
There are no formal = training=20 opportunities for young people in dance in Namibia, and = aside from=20 very few ballet schools there are almost no opportunities = for young=20 people to learn to dance (6). A notable exception is the = excellent=20 work by Sisi a South African Zulu dancer and her Omaleshe = youth=20 group (7). This group, which includes children as little as = four and=20 as old as 17, works for eight hours a week with the sort of=20 professional approach to discipline, focus, performance = standards=20 and expression that would look at home at any Centre for = Advanced=20 Training in the UK.

The choreography for the national = tour=20 was made by Sisi and Philippe and contained both traditional = and new=20 choreography to recorded songs. Whereas the OYO performers = had some=20 experience in learning and rehearsing steps and gestures, = they=20 hadn't been involved in a creative devising process, which I = attempted to share with them in our spare time (!) Whereas = the=20 dancers enjoyed playing physical theatre, dance and contact=20 improvisation games and did so with great enthusiasm and = energy,=20 they were unfamiliar with the concept of selecting and=20 choreographing short phrases as part of a choreographic = process.=20 Much to my surprise this took several days to establish. = There is=20 for example not a good translation of the word = 'improvisation' in=20 any of the Namibian languages, not even the Afrikaans option = was=20 satisfactory. A factor that might influence the young = people's=20 reaction to a creative devising process is that = traditionally the=20 predominant teaching style in schools has been purely = didactic with=20 little room for creativity or encouragement for independent = thought.=20 So even though singing and (social) dancing is something = most people=20 do more or less naturally whilst growing up, dancing and = creating=20 dance in a choreographic form is not.

Based on the = theme of=20 peer pressure and the performers' own experiences we = explored a=20 range of movement improvisation and tasks, and together = devised a=20 short piece. The aim was that the dancers would be able to = use and=20 adapt the devising process and create their own pieces of = dance,=20 indeed I have been told this is now happening! (8) Whereas = at times=20 I almost forgot that I was in Africa (the inside of the hall = could=20 have been anywhere in London or Yorkshire) I was amazed and=20 surprised at the differences of working with Namibians = instead of=20 Europeans. It was extremely inspiring to work with people = who have=20 such a completely different relationship with their bodies. = There=20 was an uninhibited physical ease and confidence and people = who had=20 never done a single dance or contact class were able to = explore each=20 other's weight and use lifts with tremendous physical = intelligence,=20 humour and creativity.

Exchange
In addition = to the=20 performances this tour was focussed on exchange as a source = of=20 learning and enrichment. Not only did the youth groups teach = each=20 other, they were also encouraged to lead workshops with = other young=20 people. This meant that the OYO youth had a chance to teach = their=20 dance movements to deaf children and to orphans and in = return they=20 themselves learned new dances and exchanged movements with = the=20 Omaleshe group. Enthusiastic OYO youth got stuck in and = taught=20 movements from their dances to the younger children who = absolutely=20 loved every second of this experience. In the UK we are = often=20 committed to process based methods of working, in which = participants=20 make creative contributions, decisions and thus create a = sense of=20 ownership of the work. By contrast, this way of exchanging = that was=20 essentially demonstrating and copying steps and gestures was = a=20 powerful tool of bringing people together in dance.
Absorption=20 and discovery
I discovered a lot in a short space = of time,=20 not least that there is a lot we can learn from work being = done in=20 Namibia and its sophistication and methodology. I learned = that I=20 don't like goat-on-the-bone for lunch (!) that working 14 = hours a=20 day in 50 degrees heat is exhausting and I learned how to = spell my=20 name in Namibian sign language. I learned that most young = Namibians=20 have already lost one parent, that life expectancy is short, = and=20 that Namibians are proud of their country in a way we never = express=20 in the UK. I learned again about the power and possibilities = of=20 enabling a person to nurture and lead others, and that this = can be=20 even more effective than simply teaching them skills. I = rediscovered=20 the power of performance and was deeply moved to see the = sheer joy=20 and energy shared by the audiences and performers, = especially in a=20 place and on
the topic where it really matters. The = absorption=20 and engagement was complete: and so I was reminded of why we = do all=20 this in the first place - because it moves, touches and says = something about who we are as people that nothing else can = quite say=20 the same way. Last but not least I saw the embodiment of a = clich=C3=A9:=20 that you really can do anything as long as you want to do it = - even=20 if you have never choreographed before: you can choreograph = a K. D.=20 Lang song for 14 dancers and perform it, dancing in between = the=20 ants, in front of 600 rapt prisoners!

Wieke = Eringa can be=20 contacted on learningand= access@northernballettheatre.co.uk
For=20 more information about Ombetja Yehinga please visit = www.ombetja.org.=20 For more information about Learning and Access at Northern = Ballet=20 Theatre visit http://www.northernballettheatre.co.uk/learningandaccess.= html

References
1. Using = the term=20 community seems immediately out of place here - as there is = no clear=20 distinction between professional and community work in=20 Namibia.
2. Namibia is in Southern Africa, bordering = South=20 Africa, the Atlantic, Botswana and Angola. Gained = independence in=20 1991 after 74 years under South Africa protectorate.
3. = Non=20 Government Organisation
4. Such as for example entry to = the=20 FESPACO (Pan African Film Festival) of five short films = called 'love=20 can cry' in 2003, publication and reprinting of 'challenging = the=20 Namibian perception of sexuality, a case study of the = Ovahimba and=20 Ovaherero cultural-sexual models in Kunene North in an = HIV/AIDS=20 context', exhibition of 'the caring Namibian man' in = Namibia, the=20 Netherlands (June 2006), Canada (international HIV/AIDS = conference=20 in Toronto, September 2006) and South Africa (December 2006) = and=20 scheduled screening on National Television of the Hostel = Monologues=20 (early 2007).
5. Two of the four Hostel Monologues were = performed=20 at Newham Sixth Form College in June 2006 as part of the = LiveEd=20 exchange programme between OYO, the college and Newham = Borough=20 Council. For more information about LiveEd please see=20 www.liveed.org
6. It is my understanding that of the many = tribal=20 groups that live in Namibia few place much emphasis on dance = traditions such as for example the Zulu's in South Africa.=20 Traditional dances still exist for instance with the = Ovahimba=20 (especially linked to traditional ceremonies), the Damaras, = Kavango=20 and the Owambo (with the impressive 'ompembe' where men jump = on top=20 of each others). However those dances are often perceived as = old=20 fashioned by young people and many do not bother learning = them from=20 their elders. No one is trying to 'modernise' or preserve = those=20 traditional dances and they run the risk to be forgotten. =
7.=20 Sisi is a South African Zulu dancer who is currently based = in=20 Oshakati in the North or Namibia and does excellent work not = only=20 with her group but also a special needs school and Aids = orphans.=20
8. This autumn Alpha Sililo is using a local song the = group he=20 was working with enjoyed; used existing traditional moves = the group=20 was feeling comfortable with and put them together in a way = that is=20 creating a story dealing with relationships between boys and = girls=20 and rumours.

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