Connecting for Change – Stories of acceptance
A brilliant showcase of musical and performing arts talents, depicted true to life stories of stigmatisation and discrimination often felt by those who struggle with acceptance in society.
Elaine Rodway
A GLORIOUS drumbeat echoed through the passages of Oxford Lodge last Saturday as performers enacted plays about acceptance and change in the Memory Arts and Culture ‘Connecting for Change’ performance concert.
The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation hosted young artists who have participated in Memory, Arts and Culture workshops in the areas of Vryheid, Warrenton in the Northern Cape, and Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape.
The aim of the production is to build a more inclusive society, foster reconciled communities and bring about justice, incorporating the use of arts and culture.
The production, which was put together in less than a week by the visiting performers, as well as locals, culminated in a brilliant showcase of musical and performing arts talents, depicting true to life stories of stigmatisation and discrimination often felt by those who struggle with acceptance in society.
As the stories played out, a message of acceptance, compassion and understanding was portrayed and the use of African instruments, a variety of music, dances and storytelling techniques drove these words home dramatically in a truly African style that clutched at the hearts of those who witnessed the production.
“Art has the potential to create a safe platform for an intergenerational and cultural dialogue by allowing people to express themselves and engage others in the process of reconciliation…” and this is precisely what was achieved by the energetic and passionate performers who took part in Saturday’s production.
