Blog

10 march – 1st team arrived!

Today again was a very busy day with everyone trying to make the last minute preparations at the kids accommodation for the arrival of the Brazilian team! This mainly involved cleaning, putting up posters and preparing the dormitories.

It was also a very important day for the volunteers football team who faced of against the Umthombo young stars in a match that took place in the sweltering heat in the middle of the afternoon. it was a very tight game with both sides putting up a very fierce fight. It really became close at the end of the second half as the lead that the volunteers had taken was starting to count for nothing as the heat started to really get to us. However we managed to keep it together just enough to squeeze in a draw of 8-8. However even this was not the draw meant that we would have to battle it out for penalties with the volunteers managing  to narrowly win by one goal!! However everyone involved felt this was an amazing game and was massively enjoyable for all involved (even if it meant the whole team sweated bucket loads!)

The day didn’t stop as we had to then rush over to the kids accommodation to await the arrival of the Brazilian team (which in true African style they arrived an hour late). Once everyone had greeted them and they had been shown to their rooms the SA team arrived to give them a true South African welcome which involved lots of handshakes, lots of dancing, chanting and even a dance off between the two teams! Though this was all in good spirit and both teams seemed to get along very well even with the language barrier. This made everyone feel really positive about the rest their stay as both teams seemed to be up for getting involved with everything from the word go! So all in all a very fulfilling yet tiring day that boded very well for the rest of time the teams will have here.

Published on: 10. 03. 2010 | Read more »

Tuesday

Another warm, sunny Durban day.  Some of us were able to spend a few hours on the beach.  Wesley even joined the Umthombo boys who came to surf and to train.  It was great to see how skilful they are, riding the waves, and how much fun they had with stretches, press-ups, etc.  The afternoon was busy with a variety of tasks including putting up banners, and working online with limited success, shopping and cooking the evening meal – a delicious curry.  It’s a tough life!

We welcomed both Jan and Chris during the day.  And the pool tournament first round is well underway between the volunteers who are competing not just for the honour of coming first, but for the celebrated Calvin Alice Cup.

Paul and Valerie

Published on: 9. 03. 2010 | Read more »

Of Face Painting and Press Conferences

Today was, like the last couple of days, both memorable and completely chaotic!  We awoke this morning and were all ready to leave at 8.15 to go to Safe Space.  Today was a key point in the build up to Street Child World Cup, the press conference.  Key people in the South African media assembled at safe space to hear what the Deloitte Street Child World Cup is all about.

On arrival we were put to work, continuing the cleaning and office rearranging that begun yesterday, and preparing the rooms for the press.  It was great, like yesterday to see everyone: staff, volunteers, and street children getting involved and working together to help make it happen.  The conference was a success, giving the journalists plenty of material with which to tell the nation what we are doing.  The most amazing part for me was when Andile, the captain of South Africa’s team in the tournament, spoke.  He spoke in his native tongue Zulu, but even if I couldn’t understand the words I could tell he was confident and eloquent.  To see a street child speaking so calmly and clearly, and with so much to say sent out exactly the right message, that street children are not silent, they have a voice and they need to be heard.

Once the cameras and microphones had gone we remained at safe space for a little while spending time with the kids.  Sam and I did kick-ups with some of the kids, whilst other volunteers offered them the opportunity to have their faces painted.  The children even went to the beach and surfed with the paint still on their face!  So what began as a day where the media guys in suits came ended with some of the children running around with flags and animals painted on their faces.  I think it’s the kind of contrast we will begin to get used to!

Tom

Published on: 8. 03. 2010 | Read more »

Life on the Streets – an interview

This is Biza.

Biza looks like he can take care of himself – and he can. Biza left his abusive family at the age of 7 to go and live on the streets in South Africa, joining tens of millions of children who scrape a living on the streets of cities. Twenty years later, he’s gained qualifications, works as an outreach worker, and is coach to the South African Street Child World Cup team.He came round to lunch at the Humanitarian Centre in Cambridge with John, Director of Momentum Arts, and one of the founders of the campaign. Biza gave a fascinating and highly personal account of his life on the street.

He told us that he left his home because of his abusive household. “I didn’t have a chance to learn to talk as a child. I didn’t get that phase of being a child. I remember as I was growing up I was called dumb, a walking zombie, because I couldn’t say anything. And then when I was about seven, I got tired of being picked on. So I made new friends – at that time I was still at school. Those friends introduced me to street life.”

Biza dispelled the idea that children live on the streets for fun; “They’re not there because they want to.” Life on the streets was tough. “I remember there was another time, a friend of mine passed away just in front of me. At that time I didn’t understand anything about gangs, but I saw them beating up a friend of mine, they beat him up like hell. This guy took a big stone and threw it in his head. And then I went to him – I thought maybe the stone just hit him on the head and he was just lying there, and then I tried to wake him up, and I was shocked that he was gone – I couldn’t believe it. I thought maybe he had just fainted, only to realise as the hours went by that he wouldn’t wake up at all.

“And that’s when I realised that it’s tough. I remember starting talking because he was the guy who was looking after me, and unless I made new friends… I said a bad word for the first time, and that to me it was good. I said that word – the f word – the whole day, because it was a breakthrough. And then other kids started talking to me, they became my community and my family. People who understood me,  - they didn’t care about my past – in the street you just start a new life.

Biza’s now the coach for the South African team in the Street Child World Cup. “I used to be one of the best players in the team when I was still in the shelter” he told us, with a hint of pride. Biza has been doing his part in promoting it, travelling around the country to speak to schools, churches, celebrities, and politicians. He went to 11 Downing Street for the launch of the campaign, and ended up staying several days there. He chuckled when I asked him about it. “Yeah, from a rubbish dump to Downing Street – it was an awesome moment.”

He’s sure that the Street Child World Cup will really make a difference. “I think the Street Child World Cup will turn their minds, their thoughts, how they perceive street children,” he told us. With the media and public excitement that the campaign is generating, it would be hard to disagree.

Published on: 8. 03. 2010 | Read more »

And it begins…

Today we got a bit of a feel for how plans can change.

We were all off doing our own thing; at the beach, church and sleeping. Mandi rushed into our room saying the Safe Space needed our help urgently. We all hurried down to Safe Space and got stuck in; moving and constructing furniture (with difficulty due to a lost bag of screws) and general tidying/cleaning. It was nice to feel purposeful with jobs that really needed doing, everyone mucked in with enthusiasm.

Then we piled into a minibus which took us to Umlazi, the second largest township in South Africa, and largest in Durban. Once there, we had a glimpse of what the Arts programme would become, and talked to the boys as they painted large wooden bees. In a previous workshop led at Umthombo, one street child had chosen to use bees as an analogy for themselves: always striving for a sweet life, sticking together and only stinging when threatened. Then we got taken on walks (of extremely varying lengths) around Umlazi. We were struck by the friendliness and generosity of our guides, local teenagers, who had lived in the township all their lives. We crossed the stream on rocks, saw the football and basketball pitches and talked to some of the locals. One of the many moments that will stick in my mind from today was when two men drove past in their truck to talk to the boys taking us around to tell them how proud they were of them and to sincerely welcome us to South Africa. The feeling in the township, to me, was one of community and friendliness.

Harri

Published on: 7. 03. 2010 | Read more »

The arrivals (part 1)

With the months of preparation frantically being tied up, today, the arrival day, was one of consolidation.  Most of the volunteers arrived in a steady trickle, meeting and greeting.  The few who had been here for longer were given the daunting task of sitting on the beach all day, to watch the Umthombo children surf. 

 The evening brought everyone together for the first time to be assigned roles, and swap stories of arts and crafts, business class and lobster thermidores…

 Joel.

Published on: 6. 03. 2010 | Read more »

Notes from an Umthombo Artist

Hi! We are Abigail Donaldson and Frances Currie, two local Durbanites with a whole lot  of passion for the arts and for social change. We have gotten involved with the Street Child World Cup in creating a performance piece with the street children at Umthombo. The audience and the performers will go on a tour/parade through the city streets, stopping at a couple of locations in which the children will perform.

Wednesday 27/01/2010

For the first workshop of the programme we decided to do a puppet workshop. The puppets gave the children the opportunity to voice their feelings and experiences in a low-focus setting. Each child had a different response to the activity. Some sang, some recited poems they had written previously, and others invented fantastical characters. We left feeling very encouraged, with the hope that the children’s enthusiasm and commitment would continue into the rest of our programme.

Wednesday 10/02/10

We explored the concept of ‘identity’ with the children today. We asked them to consider what it is that makes them the people they are, and the way in which the outside world sees them and how that makes them feel.

After the discussion, we asked them to create a short skit based on these ideas. In trying to create a context and situation for the piece, they suggested we look at the issue of the treatment of street children by the metro police. They took a few minutes to discuss their piece, after which they got up and improvised for 5-10 minutes.

The improvisation was about a girl who was new on the streets. She came into contact with the three others – also playing street children. They welcomed her to the streets and gave her advice based on the dangers of the streets – the abuse of the metro police was the key danger highlighted here.

After the performance, Anita, one of the participating children, explained their concept. They wanted to directly represent themselves and the realities of the street experience. They wanted to communicate the fact that they are not animals but human beings.

Published on: 17. 02. 2010 | Read more »

Life on the edge

One of the more exciting, powerful and perhaps dangerous things that we’re doing in South Africa is the Promenade Theatre. This is theatre where you walk along, and at each stop, a small play is performed. The journey we want to explore is where the street children of Durban live. We’re working with two local South African artists, Fran and Abi, and we are, at this point, measuring out the route. Obviously safety is a concern for us, because this is a particularly dangerous neighbourhood. Participants will be escorted by Umthombo workers and also have lots of safeguards with regard to the heat and security.

The tree you see in the picture is the first stop on the promenade theatre. This is where many of the streetchildren live. If you look closely into the tree you might see some of their belongings. They put them up in the trees during the day to stop the police from confiscating them, and then at night they sleep under the tree. The idea is that each of the teams that come to visit us will take the tour, and see first hand where the children in Durban live. The rehearsals for that – the writing of the script and the workshops – are happening every Wednesday in January and February, and they will be ready for the first performance on the 14^th of March. So good luck to Fran and Abi and the streetchildren in delivering what will be an exceptionally powerful piece of theatre.

Published on: 8. 02. 2010 | Read more »

Why is a bee like a street child?

 The bee is the central image for the Street Child World Cup. We asked the youngsters how they described themselves, and they said that they were like bees. They say ‘we all want a sweet life, we always stick together no matter what, and when we’re upset we sometimes have a sting in our tail’. This is significant for us because one of the legacies of the programme is to create a relationship with Umlazi to set up a ‘creactive centre’ – a centre for the arts that empowers the local community and develops community leaders using the creative arts. And the creation of the bees is one small step in developing and supporting the emerging creactive centre in Umlazi.

I wanted to thank Mxolisi for working and creating a whole range of bees for the exhibition, and also for making the print that’s on display in this photo. Mxo designed a lino cut and worked with print makers in Cambridge, and we produced this print for the launch of the arts programme of the Street Child World Cup. And Mxolisi had never seen it in its entirety, so we’re delighted to be able to present him with his very own copy. A fabulous print it is too. And we’re really grateful to all the artists in Umlazi who have been working on Sundays to make it all happen.

- John

Published on: 8. 02. 2010 | Read more »

How to cheat/ make up time/ be lazy/ actually get to the end of the Rickshaw Run 2010

The Plain Lazy continue despite the odds to get the rickshaw to the finish to raise funds for the Street Child World Cup:

We broke down, we lost two days, the start was delayed, the traffic is totally insane and very dangerous… we had to put it our Rickshaw on a train!

We went from Lucknow a massive city of 2.5million souls to one of 16.5, Mumbai (formally Bombay). The train has 24 carriages, with 18 hundred people on board. The last 4 carriages have 8 hundred. The train is supposed to take 24 hours it took 30!

It’s made all the difference however and after all, it is the lazy way! Check out our video: How to cheat/ make up time/ be lazy/ actually get to the end of the Rickshaw Run 2010

Plain Lazy

Published on: 11. 01. 2010 | Read more »