Group pic w/ Nyanga gogos
Priscilla hired this woman named Gloria Simoneaux, who’s working/living in Nairobi on a Fullbright scholarship, to come to Cape Town and do several art projects with the gogos in Nyanga and Kayalitcha. It was exhausting and frustrating at times, but ultimately incredible. I got lost every single day, drumming in the fact that I have the worlds most terrible sense of direction (yes, we were going to and from the same exact place every time). The gogos were too old and feeble for some of the projects we had them doing, so there was a lot of trial and error and on-the-fly thinking. Even though the space was way too small, and the gogos weren’t always physically capable of doing every activity, we had such a blast! I learned so much cool stuff that I can’t wait to take back to Mount Frere with me. Gloria has a great repertoire of fun, relaxing, self-exploration projects, and I even got to throw in some of my own ideas. We were a pretty good team, I think!
One of our most rewarding projects was “Body Mapping.” Basically, you lie on a big sheet of paper, trace your body, and then fill in bits and pieces with different things, like: what is your strongest place (ie, your heart, arms, brain, eyes…); outline your body using your favorite color; write the names of people who have helped you in your life, etc. Anyway, it was incredible, especially to see the looks on their faces when they saw what they had created! They were all so self conscious at first, and insisted they were terrible artists, but they were all fantastic. Some of them seemed SO stubborn at first, grumpy and refusing to paint—but by the end of the workshop they had totally opened up and were smiling, laughing, crying. It was tumultuous and unforgettable.
The workshop was split into 2 groups. The first 2 days were the gogos from Kayalitcha, and the last 2 days were the gogos from Nyanga. I only have pics of Nyanga gogos right now, but will get more pics from Gloria later. We had a great time. I think it was a real learning experience for everyone!
I'm trying to help this gogo think of something she loves about herself.
Gloria helped this ancient blind gogo draw a picture of her "happy place." (Her church, of course!)
I absolutely loved this woman, Elizabeth. She was the leader, I think, and on the first day she got the group to do some singing and dancing when they were getting a bit tired. It was beautiful. At the end of the workshop she said, "I feel so healthy. I am alive again!" Breaks your heart!
Everyone is hard at work, exploring their creativity!
HUGE thanks to Priscilla, Gloria, and everyone at Baphumelele for letting me be a part of such an awesome workshop!
November 22nd, 2008 at 18:16
That sounds amazing, I’m so glad it ended better than it began!! I can’t wait to hear more about it. It makes my heart a little fuller, I can only imagine what yours feels like!
xoxoxoxoxo
November 23rd, 2008 at 16:55
What a great report on what sounds like a transcendent experience! And the pictures are wonderful. Getting lost every day seems like a small price to pay. You guys are doing fabulous stuff!
love Dad
November 23rd, 2008 at 19:27
As a non-artist I relate to the self conscious, terrible artist statements, and the stubborn grumpy, refusing to paint bit. So glad for your sakes, as well as theirs, that they moved on to enjoying their experience and to the smiley happy faces in the photo.
November 25th, 2008 at 06:03
hiya andy and alex, i just got caught up on your blog. i can imagine that its really difficult to get internet, when the power is working, that is. thanks for keeping us informed. i miss you guys and wish you all the best.
November 25th, 2008 at 19:29
that looks like so much fun.
i think it is good therapy for you too. how can you walk away from this not being richer for the experience?
it’ll come in handly when you get lost again.
and don’t worry, everyone loses their way now and then.
November 25th, 2008 at 19:30
i almost forgot to mention:
what beautiful ladies! and shy about drawing or not, there’s some seriously good art being done.
they should start their own gallery!