by Yael Shapiro
Something remarkable happened on a former dump site in Freedom Park Soweto. Something so unexpected, uplifting and fascinating that volunteers from Joburg, Mexico, France, Austria, the US and South Africa came and rolled up their sleeves, eager to watch, learn and contribute their own talents to this unfolding story which culminated in an Arts Showcase which was open to the public on the 4th of December.
Formerly a dump, The Creative Arts Space has become a safe place where children from the surrounding area come to learn art, sewing, crafts, music, dance, and engineering – a place where a community is creating something from nothing. The international volunteers from Shalom Corps and Hakhel’s International Arts Community and are being hosted in Joburg by two local South African community arts groups, Creative Gatherings and 9th Street. “This is not a case of voluntourism, where privileged Westerners arrive to save the day or offer a handout,” says organiser Yael Shapiro, who is a music therapist and co-founder of Creative Gatherings. “We are here to learn from this amazing community, to build bridges between people completely different from one another, to work together in supporting their initiative, and to brainstorm how to support the sustainability of this amazing place. The highlight of this process was The Arts Showcase.”
The showcase performance was derived from a workshopped process of identity and cultural exploration, with the show being multidisciplinary, with both visual and performance arts on display. The volunteers, both the local and international multidisciplinary artists, worked with the Creative Arts Space facilitators and children aged 8 – 16, for 3 hours every day for the week leading up to the performance. “We explored topics relating to identity, home, belonging, heritage and culture and the environment,” Yael explains. “Our aim was for all involved to have a transformative experience in terms of cultural and skills transference. We hope they will be able to take the knowledge and lessons learnt from this project and apply them to their communities in South Africa and around the world. We also explored the South African context by visiting museums, the local Jewish community and asked reflective questions relating to Israel, diaspora relations, the environment, and concepts such as the South African Rainbow Nation and the Israel Mosaic.” This showcase was a beautiful display of human creativity, resilience and the power of collaboration.
