A young group of 12 South African students gave a diverse performance Feb. 6-7 at the University’s Betts theater. The performance consisted of a short play, “What is a child,” a select group of songs and a dance. Tickets for admission were $10 and all proceeds went to the Bokamoso Youth Centre’s scholarship program in Winterveldt, South Africa.
This was the 11th performance the Bokamoso Youth Centre has held at GW, and each year the performance focuses on a specific social issue that affects South Africa’s youth. This year, the topic was teenage pregnancy, an issue many of the performers felt on a personal level. Teen pregnancy has affected many of their lives. One performer, Steve Baloyi, shared his thoughts on the issue.
“For six years I couldn’t attend university after finishing high school because my family couldn’t afford it. I am the middle of 10 children, and my mother has been raising us alone since she was very young,” Baloyi said.
The Bokamoso Youth Centre provides a program for students who have graduated high school but, for whatever reason, cannot continue their education in college. The students who participate are taught communication, life skills and public speaking in the day-to-day program. However the main focus of the centre is teaching expression through performing arts. Students are encouraged to pursue creative outlets like singing, dancing, poetry and acting to empower themselves.
“When I first came to the centre, I was very shy. But the program boosted my self-esteem…I love to write and read poetry,” Doreen Mnisi said, a performer in the show.
The students who came to GW auditioned for the opportunity, presenting not only their creative skills, but also their ability to interact with people.
“We come here as representatives of the centre,” Mnisi said.
The performers also spend time with other GW students, shadowing them during classes. They live with host families for the majority of their stay, families of the St. Andrews Episcopal School in Maryland. The performers stay for four weeks every February and perform about eight shows, at different venues in the D.C. area.
The drama program spends all year working on this specific performance and when the group comes to D.C., they can feel confident their message is understood.
Professor Leslie Jacobson spearheads the performances.
“We start out with the play, the dark material, and then follow with a positive response in the songs and dance,” Jacobson said.
She added that this strategy persuades the audience to think more and to have a better perspective on the issue.
The money raised with these performances goes back to the centre’s scholarship program. The scholarship program allows the centre’s youth to continue their education at universities or trade schools. Each student has to be interviewed, and the interview determines what their career path will be and what schooling they must undergo in the process.
Students like Thapelo Mashaba, come back to the centre as a mentor for some of the younger students. Mashaba has chosen to continue working with the centre and is now the current Director of Music and Drama.
“I like both of the jobs I’ve had. But I’m also an artist,” Mashaba said.
Mashaba has carried the message of the centre with him and still chooses to express himself through music everyday of his life.