Larissa: Dancing away the differences

We officially started our activist project, Africa Acts Out, today in Nyanga! It was a little bumpy because we didn’t realize until arriving at the school that we would actually be starting today, but it was so much fun and I’m already so inspired and amazed by these kids. The program changed a little bit so now we are working with sixth and seventh graders, which I would really prefer so I’m thrilled! Before the kids showed up for their new and exciting after school program, we had lunch in the township and walked around for a little while. What we heard and what we saw were absolutely heartbreaking, but I really believe that knowing more about the township motivates us even more to do our absolute best for these kids.

Walking back from lunch we saw that there were piles and piles of garbage everywhere, there were gang members walking past kids in the streets, and there were people everywhere- a clear sign that the unemployment levels are spiraling out of control. So many of these people have nowhere to be all day, so they end up in the streets doing drugs or joining gangs, it’s horrible. The woman working at Africa Unite told us of the time she was working in the primary school, and had to cover her children’s ears so they wouldn’t hear the gunshots right outside in their schoolyard. Since Christmas of this year (not even three months ago) twelve children have been shot and killed in the community. There is so much to work on in Nyanga, I’m glad I can at least play a small part in making the day better for the innocent kids who have to live in this craziness.

What really touched me the most today was seeing the power of dance and movement to connect people. Language is a huge barrier for us in the townships as their main language is Xhosa, and some of these kids can hardly understand anything we say. It is truly such a beautiful thing to be able to work with these kids on a level where words aren’t necessary. There’s dancing, there’s smiling, and there’s laughter… I couldn’t ask for more in my classes. I love that I can bond with them and teach them something new, without needing to struggle through misinterpretations of the two different languages. Dance is such a universal language and I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to share it with these kids.