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This was the first week our cohort began working full-time at SOS Children’s Village in Cape Town. We started to be exposed to and process the complexity of the village, ranging from the disparate needs of the children to the politics of the leadership, and how we can best serve the community in the short amount of time that we are here. Having designed choreography, I came into the program to create moments of joy and freedom and an outlet to relieve emotional burdens for the children, as this is the role that dance has played in my life. What this week revealed to me is that the story would not be this simple: as I get more and more involved with the stories and lives of the children, there will be more to learn about the conditions, culture, leadership figures, and more that determine their worlds.

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The first and foremost most noticeable structure that I noticed at SOS Cape Town is the hierarchical, male-dominated structure of power. While yes, this might sound like a woke, liberal perspective to take when traveling to a new place that I will leave in a few weeks, here is why I think this observation is important.

While spending one day tutoring in House 8, the house where teenage-range girls stay, the village priest walked in. The director of the village tells me we must pause tutoring so the priest can have a serious conversation with the girls. The conversation that ensues: they have found condoms in the pipes below the house, and the priest is worried about the purity of the girls. He must “know what is going on in his village”, and proceeded to go around the room asking who has a boyfriend. This moment stayed with me as it reminded me of the instances when I myself was a teenager, listening to those I was supposed to respect. These are girls navigating the currents of a world shaming them before they have the opportunity to explore themselves, where men make decisions for a village largely run by the labor of house-mothers.

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Gathering such information about the culture of the village has informed how I connect with the children and the girls. Before teaching my choreography, I ask questions such as what makes you feel alive, what is one thing that you love about yourself, and what is your dream? These are the types of conversations I am having with the students that allow me to see through everything imposed on them and see their spirits for what they are. These questions have been most valuable in designing choreography and creating a space for my students to express such spirit.

Signing off, Elizabeth W. 🌸