Hi all,
The post below are photos that the 2010 journalism students at The University of Pretoria took for their JRN210 photography module, as presented by Gerhard Uys.
They had a three hour lecture on Aperture and F-stop and then went out on two practical classes to schools, The Union Buildings, Church Square and an Aids hospice.
Have a look and enjoy, there are some true photography jewels to be found.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
29487910
Die St. Peter Claver Kerksaal se vloere bewe behoorlik soos die Mamelodi-balletleerders die laaste spronge van hulle Échappés sautés to second and changements oefening voltooi. En soos daar elke Maandag- en Vrydagmiddag tussen 14:00 en 17:00 in die kerksaal geoefen word, is dit moeilik om te glo dat hier soms kerkbasaar gehou word. Om die waarheid te sê, dié saal kan sedert 2006 se opgraderings maklik verwar word met ‘n professionele balletskool s’n, veral as dit krioel van trippelende toontjies.
Maar hier word alles behalwe gespeel. Me. Hanlie Wydeman, balletonderwyseres van die Suid-Afrikaanse Balletteater-Uitreik (SABT-Uitreik) in Mamelodi, roep die kinders streng binne sodat hulle met die eerste klas kan begin. Sy sê dat alhoewel die kinders haar hart se punt is, dit nodig is om streng op te tree sodat hulle die doelwit om die balleteksamen deur te kom, kan bereik.
Dit is vanjaar die SABT-Uitreik se 15de verjaarsdag. Oorspronklik die idee van wyle Mariliez Dubury (SABT onderwyser) is dit in 1995 deur Dirk Badenhorst en Margaret Kgasi tot stand gebring.
”Sy is onmisbaar,” vertel Wydeman van Kgasi se rol in die totstandkoming en instandhouding van die SABT-Uitreik in Mamelodi. Dit is grootliks aan haar te danke dat die kinders vandag hier is.
Oor hoe die SABT-Uitreik op die been gebring is, sê Kgasi net: “Dis ‘n wonderwerk.”
Sy tref weekliks die nodige reëlings om die kinders betyds by die balletklasse te kry en dit is ook aan haar te danke dat die kinders in die Kerksaal hulle balletonderrig ontvang.
Die Mamelodi SABT-Uitreik klas het tans 45 kinders wat wissel tussen die ouderdomme van drie en 21. Alhoewel die inisiatief in Mamelodi ontstaan het, het dit intussen tot in Alexandra, Soweto, Katlehong, Melville en Eersterus uitgebrei.
Die SABT-Uitreik strek egter veel verder as net twee balletklasse per week. Volgens Me. Samantha Saevitzon, mediawoordvoerder van die SABT, is hul ideaal om die kinders bloot te stel aan wat ‘n loopbaan in die uitvoerende kunste alles behels. Hulle hoop om sodoende die kinders bekend te stel aan verskeie werksgeleenthede in die teater: nie net as balletdanser nie, maar ook as verhoogbestuurder, stelontwerper, kostuumontwerper, en so meer.
Dit is daarom dat die SABT waar moontlik die werklikheid van die balletwêreld aan die kinders ten toon stel. Sommige van die kinders kry byvoorbeeld die geleentheid om oudisies van die SABT by te woon met die oog daarop om ‘n rol in ‘n balletopvoering soos “Die Neutekraker” los te slaan. Wydeman wys trots een van haar ouer seunstudente uit, wat van tyd tot tyd in Staatsteateropvoerings dans.
Die beste balletstudente word ook uitgenooi om deel te hê aan die jaarlikse Winterskool waar hulle die geleentheid kry om by van die beste te leer. Vanjaar sal hulle die kans kry om by Angela Malan en Anya Carstens, beide hoofdansers van die SABT, kers op te steek.
Balletliefhebbers is egter verlede jaar onrustig gelaat met die SABT se aankondiging Novembermaand dat dié nie-winsgewende organisasie sonder die nodige befondsing gedwing sou word om hulle deure te sluit. Die goeie nuus is egter dat die grootskaalse SABT-fondsinsamelingsveldtog daarin geslaag het om die nodige borge te bekom om die SABT te laat voortleef.
Die SABT-Uitreik bly egter in moeilike situasie aangesien die SABT steeds hulle volle gewig moet ingooi om die teater op sy tone te hou. Die nuutste verwikkeling is dat die SABT-Uitreike in Mamelodi en Eersterus nou op Wydeman se naam oorgedra is.
MacDonald benadruk egter dat die SABT-Uitreike steeds deel van die SABT vorm en dat die twee nie amptelik van mekaar geskei is nie.
Die hele Uitreik se kinders is byvoorbeeld op 30 Maart 2010 met busse (befonds deur die SABT) na die Staatsteater om “Swan Lake” te sien.
SABT-Uitreik verteenwoordiger, Candace Kock, is van mening dat die SABT waarskynlik dieselfde met “Carmen”, die SABT-produksie wat in Augustus op die planke kom en dansers tans aan werk, sal doen.
Wydeman sê dat dit bloot vir haar beteken dat sy voortaan meer onafhanklik van die SABT sal moet optree. Sy voel ook dat dit tog tot ‘n groot mate die verantwoordelikheid na haar verskuif, maar sy bly optimisties.
Verder bied die SABT die SABT-Uitreik se jaareindfunksie aan. Wydeman dink egter reeds vooruit: indien dit nie hierdie jaar vir die SABT moontlik sal wees om ‘n teater aan hulle beskikbaar te stel nie, sal sy die konsert in die St. Peter Claver Kerksaal sal reël. Dit beskik oor 'n klein verhogie en het heelwat plek vir al die trotse ouers en naasbestaandes.
Waar presies die SABT die kinders oor tien of selfs twintig jaar sien, droom Saevitzon groot. Sy sê dat as sy dinge vooruit kon loop, sy hoop dat die kinders almal eendag vir die SABT sal kom oudisie en deel sal word van die SABT-familie. Sy besef egter dat dit idealisties is, aangesien sommige opgeraap sal word deur ander of oorsese maatskappye en sommige nie eers balletdansers sal word nie.
Wydeman is egter van mening dat elke kind wat op ‘n tyd in haar/sy lewe ballet gedoen het iets daarvan met hom/haar sal saamneem. Hetsy dit poise en dissipline is of selfs net ‘n gemeenskaplike liefde vir dié kultuurvorm.
‘n Graad 7-meisiestudent bewys dat dit wel met haar die geval is. Wanneer sy gevra word wat sy die meeste van ballet geniet, antwoord sy sonder om te skroom, “Alles! Alles!”
Saevitzon sê dat ballet ‘n gemeenskaplike kultuurvorm is - mense van oral heen kan dit verstaan ongeag hulle taal of kultuur. Wat vir haar sê dat Ballet die mag het om grense te oorkom en brûe te bou.
29026017 Lizanne Swart
Hidden talents in Mamelodi township
(Note; The article you are about to read concerns another school and not the one displayed in the photographs.)
On a table in the home economics classroom lies some bright red and yellow beaded table weights and napkin rings, made by children with severe disabilities ranging from epilepsy to Down Syndrome. This is only one of many other artistic skills the learners, aged between six and 18 years, learn to make with the help of their teachers. The learners and teachers alike are enthusiastic about their artwork and are eager to showcase what they have made.
According to a spokesperson for the University of Pretoria’s Mamelodi Campus, there are around 12 000 children in Mamelodi who require special education, but with only one special school in the township, the Tshegofatsong Special School, most of them are left unattended to. Started by social workers about 20 years ago, the school gets its funds from the government and is a no-fee school.
The Tshegofatsong Special School for severely disabled children focuses mainly on teaching various practical skills but also some curriculum work, which the school has to adapt themselves according to the learners’ abilities. Ms. Gadi Madisha, deputy principal at the school, explains that there “will never be any great progress curriculum-wise” and that the only way the children can perform is through their artwork. The school currently offers workshops for leatherwork, home economics, beading, art and employment skills, which help the children to distinguish colours and shapes and learn life skills. Madisha says that the children are able to use the skills that they learn outside of the school and that she frequently sees them “selling necklaces at the corner of the streets” but also adds that “some children cannot even be trained to do practical work and have to leave after 18 years”, but the school can “only give them love and care” in that period.
The lack of space and a sufficient number of classrooms for each workshop are the main difficulties the school currently has to deal with. The home economics and laundry classes share a room due to insufficient space.
At the leather craft workshop, Mr. Ben Rivele teaches the children to make leather Bible covers and key holders in the shape of the African continent. “We do not sell the products, but occasionally people who visit the school would buy some of the leatherwork”, Rivele explains. As the children are able to learn practical work much faster than syllabus work, it only takes about 20 minutes to make the Bible covers.
According to Mr. Evan Mokobane, the teacher in the computer room, the children’s favourite subject is computer studies, of which they have an hour long class each day. Mokobane teaches them basic computer skills such as how to use certain programmes and how to type, whilst listening to music. “The learners enjoy the computers very much”, admits Mokobane and continues “we plan to install a programme for disabled children, ‘Learning Access Suite’, soon”.
As the children have difficulty in writing and drawing, they make use of magazine cuttings to create pictures and self-portraits in the art class. New workshops the school offers this year include woodwork and laundry classes, but Madisha says that the school does not have enough budgets to set these projects fully in motion. The school also aims to continue the bakery class if they have the funds.
After matriculation, some of the learners join the school’s workshop to help out with the sewing of school uniforms. The majority of the learners though often struggle to find a job after 18 years at the school. However, during their years at the Tshegofatsong Special School, they have the opportunity to showcase their talents and acquire valuable life skills.
28385480 Bianca R Vieira
Special needsNote; The school on which Bianca wrote her article and where she did her photography practical is not the same school.
Practical skills show the learning progress of severely mentally disabled pupils better than the academic curriculum.
This is according to the vice principal, Gadi Modisha, of Tshegofatsong Special School in Mamelodi which caters for severely mentally handicapped children. She explains that many students cannot spell their own names or remember how to count further than ten, but if they are given practical work to do, such as crafts, they are fully capable of completing the project.
“All learning is integrated,” said Modisha, who explained that through beadwork the students learn to count and arrange the colours in sequence to achieve a final product. Therefore, the students “achieve mathematics indirectly” added Modisha.
The curriculum is made up of 80% life skills (leather work, home economics, bead work, art and employment skills) and 20% academic skills (numeracy and literacy). But, Modisha says, there aren’t enough facilities for the practical work due to the school’s lack of financial resources.
The teachers try to sell the learners’ craft projects at markets in Gezina and closer to central Pretoria but they say it is not a big source of income.
According to Modisha, only a few of the learners who graduate from Tshegofatsong get permanent work. Other learners may get training at a place of employment but aren’t kept on a permanent basis.
Johannes Manamela, a graduate from Tshegofatsong, currently has a full-time job and a wife and child. His father, Mr Manamela who works at Tshegofatsong, says his son is doing well.
Pauline Magagula, head of the senior phase, recalls one graduate, Lerato*, who was not good with numbers. When Magagula went to find work for Lerato at a clothing store, she told the manager not to give Lerato any work involving numbers.
When Magagula returned to the store a few months later to check on Lerato, she was surprised to hear that Lerato was working with labels. “I called out a number... and asked her to fetch the box with that number. And she got the right box,” said Magagula.
Magagula said she had many students who excelled in their practical work. One special case to her was of an autistic learner who, because of her disability, could not sit still and continued repetitive arm movements. She was given some bead work to do, and sat calmly and did the bead work.
*Not their real names.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
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