WCED collaborates with KKNK and Suidoosterfees
Anina Lundie, Senior Curriculum Planner in the Arts at the Western Cape Education Department (WCED), was presented with a ‘Boom van Hoop’ (tree of hope) by the Suidoosterfees in recognition for the WCED’s contribution to the arts.
The Spekboom symbolises the resilience, hope and creativity that the arts provide to all.
The Suidoosterfees invited learners and teachers to attend productions during the recent successful and sold-out festival at Artscape in Cape Town.
Earlier this year, the WCED also collaborated with the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival (KKNK).
The KKNK’s very first Youth Arts Festival has been described as a festival within a festival where high school learners gathered to experience the arts with dance, drama, music, workshops and conversations that are specifically focused on them. An additional, exciting element of this festival was the introduction of the WCED’s online videos by professional artists that offer additional tools for education in the arts.
From 1 to 4 April 2023 during the KKNK, close to 250 Creative Arts learners and teachers from Apex High, Schoonspruit Secondary, Worcester Secondary, George High, Oudtshoorn High and Grabouw High, as well as officials from the General Education and Training (Grades R to 9) and Further Education and Training (Grades 10 -12) Curriculum Directorates participated in a look, listen, feel and experience festival.
Content was compiled, so that groups have an opportunity to not only experience the arts outside the classroom, but also meet professionals involved in the arts and participate in discussions and workshops.
Hugo Theart, Artistic Director of the KKNK, said the Youth Arts Festival was conceptualised in partnership with the WCED with the aim of providing educational experiences to high school learners.
Lundie added that they encouraged high school learners and teachers to attend the first KKNK Youth Arts Festival. “This initiative by the KKNK ensures that learners are exposed to high-quality experiences in the arts, which strengthen teaching and learning in the classroom. By exposing the youth to the arts, young audiences are cultivated who will not only respond to the future artistic and socio-economic needs of our province, but also the rest of South Africa."
On 3 April, the WCED's Creative Arts learning support videos, which were recorded in collaboration with the KKNK and professional artists over the past two years, were launched for the subject, Creative Arts. The videos are presented in an online format to serve as educational material and tools in the Senior Phase curriculum for dance, drama, music and visual arts for teachers and learners.
"Learners will benefit from these videos created by practicing South African artists, who serve as role models and are representative of the dominant languages and cultural contexts of the Western Cape. The videos focus on building skills in the performing and visual arts, possible career opportunities, as well as entrepreneurship skills and how this can contribute to the arts economy of South Africa," concluded Lundie.
A total of 107 videos were produced with, among others, Alan Committie, Ameera Conrad, Arno Carstens, Dean Balie, Dizu Plaatjies, Sylvaine Strike, Tinarie van Wyk Loots, Wessel Pretorius and many more. It was produced as a collaborative project between the WCED, Edumedia and the KKNK.
By collaborating with the local Arts Festivals in the Western Cape, the GET Curriculum Directorate aims to ensure that creativity and imagination are stimulated, allowing learners to think outside the box. Through performances and workshops, learners are encouraged to explore emotions, learn empathy, use their cognitive, physical and verbal skills to develop their own, unique voices. These skills are taken back to the communities they come from, where they share them and inspire their peers. We hope that the valuable skills that the learners received can be applied in any life situation and will form an integral part of their development.
See what the Head of Education in the Western Cape, Brent Walters, and others say about the arts in the official WCED online launch video.
