I've got an idea...

Am in the opening stages of what I think is going to be an exciting project as well as quite an adventure.  Not sure where it will lead, but so far so good, and I suspect there's lots more in store.

It began as a friend told me how he and his girlfriend gave each other homemade presents at Christmas and he and his camera went looking for shapes and structures in London which could be put together into a picture forming the letters of the word HOPE.  The idea caught my imagination.

hope

Pronunciation:/həʊp/

 noun

• a feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen
• a person or thing that may help or save someone
• grounds for believing that something good may happen
• archaic a feeling of trust:

verb

• To want something to happen or be the case

Something about going looking for hope, figuratively and literally, carving it out even, and interpreting surroundings through a lens of hope.  Hope is something I often think about, especially in relation to life in Zimbabwe.  Much of my time over the last four years has been about looking for and recognising the stories and seeds of hope in this place.  Even if they are buried or trapped amongst other, less hopeful, situations.   A treasure hunt of sorts, with clues along the way.  

I've reflected on hope as a commodity - an ingredient for getting ideas and plans off the ground.  I've wrestled with it's absence, encountered hopelessness, battled and not always won.  I've watched where hope is either in short supply or somehow seems overdone.  Is hope naive? Sometimes it seems so.  I see different types of hope and hoping.  The stakes vary and I have greater appreciation for a hope which hopes in spite of, rather than in denial of, circumstance.  Quiet hope, with doubt not always a stranger, the paradox of carrying both hope and doubt simultaneously.  Costly? That I've also reflected on.  I see the way that, like a floating object thrown in deep water, hope can climb to the surface, challenging circumstance.  I see the difference it can (and does) make.  

Is hope is a choice, a decision?  We choose to see it, to interpret it within the mix, to look for and call it out even.  Is hoping hard...too hard? What if we sometimes can and sometimes just cannot muster it? How does it work and how and where is it generated.  How do you  recover from hopelessness and get your hope back?  Are some just more hopeful than others? I love such questions, as I think they are so real and honest and really matter.  
One way or another, I've come to have a lot of time for Hope: Small word, Big potential.  

I'm looking to turn some of these ideas and experiences into a photographic project of my own.   The medium of photography seems a good fit, considering it's all about ways of seeing and how and what you see.  Capturing hope in the everyday.   Actually, once I started chatting a bit about the idea with others I didn't want it to be just me on my own, so I've made a start towards turning it into a wider effort, open to all.  A challenge of sorts.  Put the HOPE back into Bulawayo...or, maybe just recognise it where it's been there all along, and celebrate it.  Telling the stories of hope.

Rainstorm at Precious Life

Watching cartoons

Everyone loves a bit of Tom & Jerry

With thanks to our sponsor!

These pictures were sent to Toshiba today, forwarded to their PR department, together with a little story of how one of their laptops is being used for the women and children at Precious Life to watch cartoons during one of my weekly visits to do activities together.  I explained how these small things are part of a bigger picture, one of positive changes in peoples lives and of social transformation through empowerment and practical support and care.  Stories of hope, laughter and fun, from under a leaking roof in the middle of a thunderstorm, on a remote farm with no electricity.  It's such a privilege to be part of it.

Collecting the drips

Precious Life Foundation

Princess her daughter Luba with the Precious Life Farm in the background

One of the highlights of the last few months has been my involvement with The Precious Life Foundation. Started by Agnes Kwenda (who I first met as a physio when she tried to 'relocate' my dislocated finger last year!) Precious Life helps vulnerable women and babies. Started as a response to several cases of baby-dumping, Agnes and her husband Ronald began trying to address some root causes that may lead a pregnant girl to abandon her child. Some of the girls may work as prostitutes, others may have been abused – there are a variety of reasons. The Kwenda's discovered that often a small and simple intervention may be all it takes to persuade someone to think twice about abandoning a baby.

Precious Life runs a drop-in centre, which offers advice and practical support such as clothing and nappies. It also finds and provides training opportunities for young mothers with a view to giving them a source of livelihood to help them provide for their child.

The aim is for a self-sufficient project which gives the girls alternative options through education and employment opportunities. It's very practical in approach as Agnes puts her entrepreneurial and business abilities to good use. Small-scale agricultural projects and other vocational skills such as sewing, hospitality, beautician and hairdressing skills have been taught to girls via the drop-in centre.

Another branch of Precious Life is for deeper engagement with some of the girls, especially those who are victims of abuse and tragic circumstances. In some cases girls need to get out of an abusive situation and sometimes need help finding somewhere else to live. The Kwenda's have hosted several girls and babies themselves, but as numbers rose they looked for other medium to longer term solutions. This is how a small residential community came about and in August this year 8 girls moved to a newly bought farm 20 kilometres out of Bulawayo (on the Johannesburg road).

Precious Life farm: view from the next door property

The house at the farm

It's this group that I've been more involved with over the last couple of months. From a variety of backgrounds and with varying levels of education, the 8 girls are currently living on the farm which has plenty of potential and plans, but at this stage is still quite basic.  20 kilometres from the city and not much established yet, boredom can be one of the battles!

Agnes Kwenda (3rd from left) with the residents of Precious Life

I offered to get involved and agreed to spend time with and befriend the group. So I've become a regular visitor and always take some kind of activity for us to do together. I'm getting to know the girls and their children and trust is growing.

Together we've done manicures, made bracelets, iced biscuits and made paper-chains.  It's far more than just an activity - it's the time interacting and sharing, building relationship and investing.

Pretty hands

Our mobile salon

Making friendship bracelets

Making Paper Chains

Icing biscuits

Sampling the handiwork!

Beautiful nails

At a deeper level, I really believe in the importance of taking an interest in others and the power of sharing stories and journeying together. If I can be there in some way for these girls, listening and sharing, teaching and learning, laughing, encouraging and advocating on their behalf, then I will do so and consider it a privilege. I love using creativity and doing creative art/craft things in such a context.  It adds another dimension to having fun and spending time together and can provide a way for the girls get a sense of achievement and encouragement. Precious Life is a very practical and completely grass-roots orientated initiative. All ideas of activities I could do with these special ladies gratefully received!

Hope you enjoye some pictures of things we've done so far... We've had a lot of fun!

News coverage

Here's a link to a piece of CNN coverage that happens to show a glimpse of Helen & I during the main event on Sunday at City Sports Centre, Harare! 



A few more articles on the visit...

CNN/THEOS: My Take: Archbishop goes where Western leaders won’t
Reuters: Archbishop of Canterbury denounces attacks on Zimbabwe church
BBC: Archbishop delivers message of hope to Zimbabwe
BBC: Archbishop of Canterbury on 'healing' Zimbabwe trip
Sky News: Archbishop And Mugabe Meet In Zimbabwe

The view of the 18000 crowd at The City Sports Centre

In the thick of it with Helen Stawski, The Archbishop of Canterbury's Programme Co-ordinator for International Development

View from the motorcade after being transported with police escort through the streets of Harare

The Archbishop of Canterbury's visit to Zimbabwe

Historical scenes yesterday from the heart of the City Sports Centre in Harare as The Archbishop of Canterbury, together with other leaders and dignitaries, addressed Zimbabweans during his visit here and to other surrounding countries within the Anglican Province of Central Africa.  It was moving to witness the show of solidarity and support to people of faith who have faced much adversity and opposition and against whom violence and threats have been levelled.  In a society where daily life often seems to warrent navigation through many a shade of grey, and moral and ethical dialemas can blur through their complex layers, it could seem a hopeless or unsurmountable challenge to question the powers that be.  Compliance can seem a far easier path than challenge, yet something surely dies in the very acceptance.  So it was pertinant to hear such core values as justice, freedom, equality and provision for the vulnerable within society, be spoken of, not lightly but as costly and weighty, to stand out from other negative human qualities that have played a huge role here.  I found it so refreshing to be reminded of the bigger picture and to lift our eyes to that again.  Here is the text of the sermon given. 

Othello at HIFA

Here's the entry about our show: The Gospel of Othello from the Harare International Festival of Arts website.


The Gospel of Othello


Just arrived back in Bulawayo from HIFA...more from me about the show soon!

Othello: Week Two

So here we are.  Managed to grab an hour to myself away from the Big Othello House for a shot span of time.  It feels great!  We’re halfway through the second week of the project and have been joined by Juan and Harold who are our musical director and choreographer respectively.  The original core group who were part of the original Bulawayo version of The Gospel of Othello have been joined by a variety of Harare-based performers including musicians and actors.  Things are progressing really well but it’s definitely intensive and demanding.  The combination of simultaneously working on the dance and movement, music and text components of the show is both stimulating and exhausting.  In snatched moments of free-time it’s hard to know what to begin going over and working on myself.  And I’m a little sleep-deprived…! The five girls are sharing a room which makes for an intense communal lifestyle! But all in all it’s really good and there’s some interesting ideas and work emerging.  

For me personally, I am at the stage of needing to somehow learn lines and work on the character of Desdemonda in various ways.  I also need to learn a whole bunch of music – most in languages other than English (and I’m not very good with languages!!) as well as dance routines and chorus work.  I have an interesting relationship with dancing.  While I love it, I don’t think I am particularly good at it (it’s definitely a myth that all girl’s can dance well!) and I’m finding, as I guess I did expect to, that there are many things that are culturally specific and what’s normal or default to one person is actually so different to others from another background.  It’s already emerged in terms of dance – what’s natural in terms of beat and body to everyone else isn’t necessarily to me – and I’m sure it’s also evident in other areas too.  But that’s the beauty of what we’re involved in and for me it’s part of the reason I wanted to be involved in this project.  I didn’t expect it to be easy.  But I did expect it to be stretching and stimulating and that’s certainly what is emerging.   

This about sums up our relative waltzing prowess...my Othello & I have a lot of work to do!!