Phakama - Southern Africa

The Phakama project is the product of the British Council's work in "Theatre for Development." The Phakama approach uses each participant's experience and imagination as the starting point for using the creative process to explore issues and ideas.

During the initial phase, the representatives were trained in democratic facilitation processes, and they were given the opportunity to help organise and stage a massive community performance involving over 60 people. They were asked to:

• prepare stage 2 of the project and launch Phakama in Botswana
• develop a Phakama group in Gaborone, and
• prepare for the final stage (stage 3) of the project in which participants from 5 other countries will come together in Gaborone.

Each participant was asked to produce a brief report together with a full evaluation report on stage 1 by the end of February 2003. Participants continuing into stage 2 were further tasked with establishing in-country groups, with whom they were required to run country-based Phakama projects. Here are a few details about these country-based activities:

• South Africa: Organised and completed projects in Khayelitsha (Western Cape), Cala (Eastern Cape), Daveyton (Gauteng), and Rustenberg (North West). In Cala, a 2-day training session was held with 3 young local facilitators, focussing on sharing Morija experiences and supporting young Cala facilitators in planning the week's work. On day 2 they were joined by 20 young people from the village, the result of which was an outdoor evening performance that featured rap, body percussion songs, and moving drama scenes. In Khayelitsh, a 2-day training programme was held for young Phakama facilitators, who then led a 5-day process with 40 young people. The performance took place at 'Ekhulweniseni' a place of safety for children. Organisers say that, through design, poetry, song, and drama, the home's barren rooms, corridors, and garden were transformed into a warm promenade performance. Attendees at the performance included members of the community and people from the British Council's UKUZA conference at Spier held in Stellenbosch.
• Britain: Worked with a group of young refugees and unaccompanied asylum seekers based in London. The group developed their ideas to evolve a promenade performance using the bedrooms, corridors, gardens and halls of the National children's Home in Islington. Through theatre, music, poetry, dance, circus, fire, and visual arts, the young people told their stories to an audience composed of social workers, policy makers, teachers, community workers, and other young refugees living in London (and young Londoners). Their performers also carried with them the stories and memories of other young people who could not be with them because of the dispersal policy of the Home Office. Each night, writer Biyi Bandele led an after-show discussion. After the performance of Strange Familiars / The Child I Curry, 3 facilitators and 3 young people represented the refugee participants (who cannot travel) at an EU gathering in Poland addressing the question: 'Can art act as a catalyst for social inclusion and facilitate a shared cultural learning?'. Plans are underway to start a Trainee Program aimed at enabling participants to become facilitators in the next phase.
• Botswana: Established a group consisting of young people from Gaborone and Ramotswa in March 2003 who have been meeting on weekly basis. A training and development workshop took place in August 2003 for 25 young facilitators from different national and cultural groups. This intensive workshop was run by Warren Nebe from Phakama Botswana and Yvonne Banning from Phakama SA. The workshop focused on affirming existing skills and helping develop a conceptual framework of Phakama for Botswana. It is now aims to start Phakama groups in Ramotswa, Jwaneng, and Ghanzi. Phase 3 is to take place in Botswana in April 2004 for the Maitisong Festival.
• Lesotho: Regular Saturday weekly meetings have been taking place in Morija; they are still attended by the original group of 60 young people.
• Mauritius: Have completed their performance.
• Namibia: Worked for with young people from the College Of Arts, Arts for Differently Able People, Street kids and the Change of Lifestyle Safehouse (COLS) for a period of 2 weeks. (COLS accommodates trial juveniles; its mission is to intervene at a very early stage when a child comes into conflict with the law in order to help them not to become part of the criminal system).
• Mozambique: Are currently working on their project, which is in its early stages.

Country-based groups are meeting regularly to take skills and training forward and continue to reflect and develop the ideas explored in the project. As of this writing, they are engaged in local fundraising initiatives, following which they will commence their selection processes for the Botswana residency in April 2004. As part of this residency, country-based British Council offices are each supporting the participation of 2 facilitators and 4 participants.

Youth, Rights.

Organisers say the project aims to change young people's lives. "Phakama, has initiated what so many people in education have sought to do for years. It has managed to develop method of teaching, training and empowering young people to become responsible, well-informed and creative citizens of the world."