A Play At Voting
‘Take a Child to the Theatre’ Showcases the Power of Engagement in Addressing National Issues”
By Tebogo Mokgadi
Assitej SA – which is partnered with Beloved Community Coalition (BeCoCo) held a Young People’s Dialogue under the banner “Take A Child To Theater.” The 20th of March being International Take A Child To Theatre Day, the celebration happened in Moses Molelekwa Community Arts Center where a theatre play to the youth was exibited. In commemoration of Soufh Africa’s 30 year democracy, the center, found in remembrance of the Jazz maestro, was honored by Assitej SA &
BeCoCo’s presence as they were welcomed by Mr Jerry Molelekwa, father of the late pioneer.
Partners aligned with BeCoCo, including SistaBoss Academy & Company, availed themselves. March the 20th was a
continuation of its Youth Civic
Engagement, started on the 1 6th of March in Eldorado Park. This year, Take A Child To Theatre was, in part, about mobilizing young people to vote. On the day, Kwasha! Theatre Group graced the audience with a play titled ‘Vote For Me.’ Taking the audience down a rabbit hole, it explored the spectrum; from voting, to the perception of politics in South Africa
The Youth Civic Engagement & its I X Generation/ campaign rehashed the sentiment of getting young people to vote. Started with the idea of mobilizing folks to vote, the day carried said purpose. It highlighted the importance of mobilizing the youth to participate in SAS democracy, which has been in rule for the past 30 years.
Starting the play, the stage had been propped with an array of shoes, leaving onlookers with the colloquium of the need to be filled. Developing further, a clear deduction was drawn—time to take action. Ending the play was a Young People’s Dialogue that discussed key moments in the play and how the audience perceived them in comparison to South Africa’s political landscape.
Collaborating together, both BeCoCo & Assitej SA managed to fulfil their mandate of the day. One established in promoting arts in SA communities and the other aimed at promoting voter awareness. Voter mobilization through theatre introduction became a perfect pair that engaged and built interest into the minds of young South Africans
The goal was in magnifying the collective’s differences in order to recognize each other’s needs for having a better life. And through this, Assitej SA and its theatre program, Take a Child to Theatre
(Theatre4Youth), aims to convey the crux that art has on developing young minds and the community. Associates of both organizations – among them being SistaBoss Academy & Company – were pleased with the presence of Kwasha! Theatre Group, Mr Molelekwals Hospitality, and the youth that showed up to the exhibition.
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