...And Scene!

Mission Accomplished

by Teresa Cantu

Today marked our final day in Kilifi, and I can honestly say I will be sad to leave this place.  The new friends we have made at Tulia Bofa have made our stay and workshop incredible experience, and the children have been wonderful to work with.  Today’s workshop was a mixture of emotions.  The workshop started on a high as Suzzi and I were once again greatly pleased to see many new faces.  It appeared that many younger siblings of previous attendees were in attendance today.  I am a sucker for toothy grins and dimpled cheeks, so I was enthused from the get go!

We immediately started our warm up games with energy as we used three blowup beach balls provided by a colleague back in Dubai.  All students stood in a circle and tossed the balls to other group members all while sharing something about themselves.  We began with names, and then moved on to favorite fruits, and animals we found most scary.  I am pleased to say I am not in fact the only person that has an aversion to millipedes! As a group, we then transitioned into the counting 1 to 10 and 10 to 1 game that we practiced on day 1. Suzzi and I quickly began to realize that there was still a great stretch in terms of language ability within the group.  However, this game still proved to elicit giggles from everyone involved.

The new warm-up game today involved dividing our large group into smaller groups of four.  Suzzi or I gave the name of an animal or object, and the groups were challenged to position all of their bodies to create this figure.  For example, we began with tree.  Each group of four used their bodies to create one tree together.  From tree we moved on to elephant, millipede, bicycle, and a few others.  This was a great opportunity for the students to think about their body movements, positioning, and to communicate as a team to work together on a common goal.  We upped the ante when the camera was brought out.  The groups seemed to feel re invigorated at the hope of having the group’s photo taken.

At this point the decision was made to divide the full group into 2 halves.  Suzzi worked with the students who learned the play, “The Fisherman, His Wife, and the Sea of Dreams” while I stayed with the new students.  Most of these new students were quite young and we played some of the warm ups that were used in Day 1 and 2.  We also had some time to discuss the words love, community, responsibility, and peace.  We concluded this session with the group teaching me some of their favorite songs and dances that they’ve learned in Kilifi.

As Suzzi and I combined forces, once more we immediately realized that the students from yesterday’s workshop still have some things to learn about performance.  It was a great challenge to have the students perform with proper volume and energy levels, but it was clear they understood the overall plot and theme of the story.  So, this leads us to the next question.  Have we accomplished our larger goals in Kilifi?

My answer is a resounding yes.  First of all, Necessary Arts came to Kilifi to make positive contacts and engage in an outreach experience.  Our numbers grew with each day, so it is clear that participants were talking to their friends and family and recruiting people to return.  We met not only children, but also adults in the community.  We have strong role models, contact information, and most importantly – enthusiasm from these adults.  They will be a huge asset in the future upon Necessary Arts return.  We also met the head teacher at the local Bofa Primary School, and this will allow us to reach an even greater audience of students and educators in the future when school is in session.

Secondly, every attendee became a performer in our Necessary Arts community.  The activities we selected gave students the opportunity to perform as much as he or she liked.  We saw leaders emerge and performers shine during skits.  We witnessed students playing together and depending on fellow classmates for help and support.  Students who might be shy in school or in the home had their fellow participants to act silly with and possibly open themselves up more than they might usually.  Additionally, we practiced our English literacy skills.  Each student engaged in reading activities, spoken word, and writing activities as a group.

Lastly, a large part of Necessary Arts is to discuss global ideas and experiences.  Being that this trip was based on making connections and outreach, I felt it important to make Bofa Village and Kilifi feel like the center of the world.  We spoke about this village and the experiences of this community.  I think this is the most important step when entering a new community, and especially one you want to work with in the future.  It is our job as teachers and volunteers to let the people know how we truly care about their world and experiences.  We listened to the stories of the children, adults, and teachers and we read the words related to their lives.  Further discussions can take place involving global contexts and learning in future visits.  Upon the closing of our final workshop Suzzi asked Answar, “So what do you think?  Do you think this type of work is good for this community?” and he responding passionately with an affirmative, “Oh yes most certainly.”

Answar is a man that wants more for his community, and he even has plans to start a free of charge computer class for Bofa residents.  He also gladly provided lunch after today’s session for 40 hungry faces just to assure that no one would go hungry for the day.  He is the perfect community role model and wore his gifted Necessary Arts t-shirt with pride all day long.  He was also quick to hold us accountable to our message for the sake of his community when he asked, “So, when will you return?”

The day concluded with the children asking Suzzi and I to join them at the beach for an afternoon swim.  Fully clothed they bounded into the crashing waves that brought the afternoon tide higher and higher.  Their laughter and smiles were once again infectious, and the same children that were so quiet and shy two hours previous became obsessed with being the models for the ever clicking camera.  We appeased their requests of, “Take my photo, take my photo!” The beauty of a digital camera is the instant gratification of seeing one’s photo, but it also means a photo can be easily erased.  As Suzzi and I snapped away we were fully aware that others would never witness most of these photos – much like the very experience we were a part of.

When it was time for the children to go home they quickly asked, “When will you come back, when will you return?” I do not want this trip to mimic that digital camera.  One visit can easily give instant gratification in knowing that we gave our students an enjoyable experience, but I do not want these children to become like the easily disposable photos.  Each one of them is important and their experiences are worth remembering and sharing.  This first trip was a great opportunity for outreach and I know Necessary Arts will do continued beneficial work with these students and community.  As we prepare to leave Kilifi in the morning we know we now have three new local leaders, contacts in a local school, more than enough students to fill a workshop, and the personal desire to return to continue what we’ve started.