THE Grade 10s at St Mary’s DSG Kloof were privileged to have Prof Chris Mann from Rhodes University visit them on Thursday, 19 May. The theme of his presentation was an exploration, through poetry and music, of the challenges and excitement of adolescence.
Professor Mann began his presentation with the scientific analysis of the human brain and the changes that take place during adolescence. His poetry and music enthralled, with beautiful lines indelibly impressed on his audience.
His poem, Time like a Dragonfly, describes time as ‘A flicker in eternity – a shimmer in a dream’.
He looked at how memory shapes one’s future. His own memory of mushrooms in the Valley of a Thousand Hills describes the mushrooms as ‘dawn-lit, rain-dewed, baptistery domes’.
Professor Mann left his audience with an understanding that, during adolescence, time for private introspection and contemplation is so important.
