Our Pride and Joy!

At the recent opening of the Masakhane Community centre, members of our various drama teams gave some stunning performances.
Our rappers from the "Masakhane Magic Stick" Group, used their art to spread their message of education in stead of crime and gangsterism, whilst making us aware of the hardship they endure for their choice.Our poets had varying contributions, "Son of Africa" was performed, with a strong theme of pride in self, "Agriculture" raised the awareness of how essential farming is to our african nations, and how teachers cannot educate children if they do not have food supplied by the farmer. Beauty Kubu did a moving rendition of her poem "You ask of me", raising awareness of HIV/Aids and making a strong statement afterwards encouraging her piers to have themselves tested and take their ARV's.
The high point of the concert was no doubt the Masakhane Gumboot Dancers. A group of 13 young men betweem the ages of 6 and 13. The whole village and audience cheered and they thrummed away at an amazing pace, never missing a step! They where so impressive that the local Spar arranged for them to perform in public in the following days. We're proud of you guys, and proud of the amount of work you put in.
Our traditional girl dancers shook their booty's with gusto, even getting Mimi Kgope to show us how it's done, and as a finale, a traditional Tswana dance/drama performance was done by three of our Masakhane adults.

It was a brilliant day for all, Thanks Standford Sambo for being a professional Master of Ceremonies and getting everyone organised.

The Masakhane Drama HIV group is back in rehearsal after a hiatus of a few months due to the building of the Community centre in which everyone took part. We also congratulate Beauty with the birth of her little one.
Watch this space for our performance schedule.

Shows cost us about R800.00 for a 3 hour intervention with show and HIV/Aids education. Any person who'd like to sponsor a show, or would like us to perform for themselves or their staff is welcome to contact Sam at 082 620 6369 or sam@dreamlodge.co.za

Love and light
Sam

Formal counselling training

Formal training in basic counselling skills with theoretical background started on the 05th November 2009. Since funding for the HIV outreach has still not been attracted, we decided to go forward in a slightly more personal direction.

The Drama group at Masakhane, as well as three students also from the village have started their fomal training in personal counselling.

The skills taught will enable the students to counsel any person with problems, but will eventually be specifically targeted at HIV, crime/trauma debriefing and poverty counselling.

We have found that many of our villagers have both a plan and the opportunity to lift themselves by their own bootstraps, but that often, the fear of failure and the so called "poverty mentality" seems to stand in their way. Poverty counselling is counselling that specifically adresses the emotional blockages that keep people poor and dependent.

People in the Magaliesburg/Hekpoort area who would like to access the services we offer, including HIV counselling and trauma debriefing/counselling are welcome to contact

Sam at 082 620 6369.

Ready....Steady!......

At last, the first show is complete!

Although we have no fixed bookings yet, we are hopeful that the landowners and factory bosses in our area will be keen on confirming the show for their workers. For the free shows in the squatter camps, we trust that sponsorship will be forthcoming in the near future

Check this space soon for a profile of each of our hardworking community actors as well as a video clip of our Life Saver show!!

Sam

Leaping into action: The LIFESAVER SHOW

Our drama team has started with a month of intense rehearsal and training.



A little snippet was performed at the ceremony that ABI arranged for the formal handover of the Edutainers to the Masakhane village. (Please have a look at the education blog)
Here are our actors in a scene from our introduction play. This show will introduce the various charachters and provide audience members with essential information about HIV/Aids. Enough information to start making informed decisions about one's own life and health. Enough information to save a life.
We therefore call it the LIFESAVER SHOW

We are gloriously busy at present. The first two plays are being developed and rehearsed. HIV/Aids peer educator training is starting on Tuesday 19 May, and we just had our first training session in Counselling skills.

We have been very fortunate to recieve a donation from SAB South Africa which will help us cover our progress untill we can find a sponsor for the main project. Thankyou SO much for your ongoing support.
We have realised that we can successfully develop the shows, and do paid shows at factories and farms without the major sponsorship. For our Free Shows at squatter camps and rural informal settlements to be practicable however, we will need to gain the support of a major investor. These free shows are, in our mind, actually what the project is about. To provide the essential information and skills to those who get overlooked by most programmes, and thus we will keep trying to secure a sponsor.

Anyone interested in booking a show for a factory or farm in our area can contact Sam at sam@dreamlodge.co.za or call her at (0027) 82 620 6369

To see our project proposal, please follow the link at the top right of this page.

our first performance!!!

On Saturday 4th April, the actors from our Masakhane Drama Project had the first opportunity to perform to a live audience.

It was a day of celebration! Community members who had completed courses in firefighting and first aid where handed their certificates at this ceremony, and they where both astonished and entertained by the antics of the various performers.

A short, hillarious piece was performed by an elderly gentleman (Stanford) and his nephew(Joseph). Much to the entertainment of our guests, Jenni Gilles and Duncan from SAB Miller, they where included in the play. Our actors used the performance as an avenue of thanking Jenni for her continued support, as well as making Duncan feel right at home.

The two charachters where amazed at the arrival of Mr. Duncan "Mc Cloud" from "English"(as opposed to England).

The language method of repeating things in both English and Tswana was well demonstrated, and we confirmed that this method will be effective once we are on the road. As a matter of fact, it added to the commic effect.

Our odd acting couple thanked our visitor from SAB Miller's London office and Jenni Gilles for their continued support and for helping us to teach one another about HIV.

Whilst Jenni was given honorary citizenship of Masakhane, Duncan was convinced to try the locally brewed Pineapple beer, and our chefs presented all the guests with home baked cookies!

The great surprise of the morning where our junior traditional dancing troups - both the boys and the girls troups performed to the great entertainment of locals and visitors allike.

A cullinary and artistic coup!

Thanks very much to Sue and Paul West who joined us for the day, and who have started helping and taking part in Masakhane development. They will be involved especially with the Nursery school project and the food gardens.

Important note!!!!
Sonja van der Vyver, our main educator and developer at Masakhane, is inviting everyone who is interested to sponsor a child for the holliday project. Each group of three children are given a disposable camera, some photography skills and a short course in writing. They then compile a story of their own with the theme "Life in Masakhane". The results will be published in book form and the proceeds used to provide constructive holliday programmes for the kids of the village.

Sponsorship of a child costs R250.00 and one will be able to follow their progress on the main Masakhane blog. (see top of the page)

Please contact Sonja for details at iansonja@vodamail.co.za or to register as a Friend of the Masakhane Children.

Love and light to all

Sam Savage

13 April 2009

WELCOME!!!

Main Masakhane Village Power blog

"None but ourselves can free our minds.." Bob Marley

It's safe to assume, I think, that we are all heartily sick of seeing people die of AIDS because they simply don't know or believe that ARV's can give you the chance to see your children grow up.
We are just as tired of people struggling to access services which are their constitutional right, and which are essential for survival, such as water or health services.
The third issue we're taking up is the loss of jobs, health and sustenance because of self destructive binge drinking.

It sounds like a lot for one project, but the most wonderful thing about drama, is that it can examine, explain or even laugh at any subject it likes.

The Masakhane Drama project was born out of the need to share basic information with a large group of people quickly and effectively.

The methods we use are interactive, giving our audience the opportunity to find their own sollutions to the difficult situations they deal with every day.
We know that it is difficultto change one's behaviour , and the only way change will happen is if one takes part actively in the learning process.

Our actors all come from the Masakhane village and are at present recieving Life Skills Training courtesy of SAB Miller. Before our show hits the road, they will also have been trained as HIV Counsellors and they will be able to do on the spot HIV testing. Sam, our drama director, is also a social worker, and she will be enriching the counselling training with further general counselling skills.

We have many friends helping us in our own learning process such as:

• Magaliesburg Clinic



• Koster and Swartruggens Hospitals and ARV clinics



• Home Based Carers from Magaliesburg and the kgetleng district



• Kgetleng district health department



• The people of Masakhane village



• Dr. Molephe Pheto (well known activist, musician, dramatis persona and pig farmer)

SAB Miller South Africa have been supporting the Masakhane Village Power Project with training, water provision and lots more. We are hoping to present them with the Drama Project proposal within the next few weeks.
Thankyou very much for your support thus far!

We have started rehearsal in Masakhane and we have made contact with most of our target communities. We will be working in rural squatter camps, on farms and in factories and we hope to reach exactly those people that are out of bounds to the noisy city media machine.

Love and light
Sam Savage