Arts Outreach Programme
Business and Implementation Plan
A Brief Overview
The SAEP Arts Programme is an extra-curricular programme available to learners at five high school in
the Cape Flats townships of Philippi, Nyanga East, and Samora Machel: Zisukhanyo, Sophumelela, Oscar
Mpetha, Intsebensiswano, and Sinethemba. The programme consists of a set of weekly workshops
conducted by student volunteers from UCT, former learners from these schools, and some professional
teachers and lecturers.
There are four workshop sets that the learners can choose from: drama, music, poetry and visual arts.
Each of these will consist of 24 workshops through the course of one year, so that there will be
approximately 100 workshops in total. These will aim at a joint performance to be held in the third
term, consisting of a theatre competition, song contest, poetry reading and art exhibition. A detailed
description of each of the four workshop streams is provided:
The drama programme will start with a few workshops on basic voice projection, characterization, etc.
The learners will then be encouraged to select and perform a one-act play, to be directed by two of the
learners themselves. The volunteers will coach and assist where necessary, and the best production will
eventually be selected to be performed at the annual Artscape Schools Theatre Festival.
The music programme is designed to expose learners to the sort of theoretical and practical music
background that they require in order to be able to collaborate with other musicians and/or to study
music at a tertiary level. The workshops are roughly based on the UCT one-year entry course into the
BMus programme, but will be valuable to all learners who have an interest learning to read scores, sightsing and recognize genres and periods.
Poetry and creative writing aims at encouraging self-expression and identity-exploration amongst the
learners. It will be a non-prescriptive and interactive workshop course, in which the learners will spend
a lot of time writing, but also some time being exposed to contemporary African and South American
poetry (European poetry is usually covered at school), as well as performance poetry. This series will be
conducted in close collaboration with the UCT School of Creative Writing.
Lastly, the visual arts workshops will conduct simple drawing and installation exercises using cheap and
available materials. The curriculum will be determined by art teachers and professional township
artists, in consultation with the learners, and will be facilitated by students and other volunteers. These
workshops will also be used to identify and channel talented students towards supportive organizations
such as the Frank Joubert Art and Design Centre.
Benefits to the Community
These projects will provide children with a range of valuable skills—public speaking, innovation, selfconfident expression, English proficiency and knowledge of alternative arts careers. All of the
workshops will attempt to provide learners with mentoring relationships with knowledgeable adults, an
interest in self-motivated education and a space to explore specific talents. Also, very tangible skills
necessary for succeeding in school examinations (such as English creative essay examinations) and
tertiary learning (such as familiarity with music theory) will be targeted. In addition, parents, relatives
and teachers will benefit from the entertainment which the children will provide and will be encouraged
to become involved in various ways.
Activities
The Arts Outreach Programme will operate for learners in five township high schools, Sophumelela,
Oscar Mpetha, Zisukhanyo, Intsebenziswano, and Philippi High. It will work in these schools Tuesday
through Thursday, where each day will have a different focus. On Tuesday, learners will be provided
workshops and lessons in the visual arts, on Wednesday in music and poetry, and on Thursday in drama.
SAEP ARTS OUTREACH PROGRAMME
Activities and Outcomes
Partners
Venues
DRAMA
MUSIC
POETRY/
CREATIVE
WRITING
VISUAL ARTS
Artscape
Soundtrack for
Life
UCT School of
Music
UCT School of
Creative
Writing and
The Centre
for the Book
Helen Binckes (art
teacher and art
therapist) and
Frank Joubert Art
and Design
Centre
OUTCOMES
High Schools:
Sophumelela, Oscar Mpetha, Zisukhanyo, Intsebenziswano, Philippi
Marimba
Classes at
AmaAmbush
Frank Joubert
Term 1
19/02-30/03
6 workshops
Training
Workshops:
characterization,
voice projection,
breathing training,
improvisation,
body
consciousness,
team working,
script-writing.
Basic notes,
values, clefs and
time signatures;
Introduction to
symphony,
opera and
chamber music;
aural.
Initial intensive
volunteer training
workshop.
Learner workshops
on free writing;
quick sharp
exercises on
description,
characterization,
etc.
Series of
interactive
lectures on Art
History by Michel,
to start term
before students
arrive. Workshops
on drawing,
composition and
colour harmony.
(2 each)
Term 2
16/04-1/06
7 workshops
Creation and
rehearsal of 10min
piece, around
theme:
“Relationships”.
Performance at
community-based
Artscape selection
events.
Scales and key
signatures;
Baroque era;
tempo and
dynamics.
Selection and
rehearsal of
performance
piece.
Exercises of
form—rhyming,
rhythm,
alliteration, tone,
etc.
Workshops on
colour again, and
on texture (2
each).
Start to paint
group canvases (5
to a canvas)
Creation of an
established and
committed class of
learners, basic
familiarity with
subject
Term 3
30/07-07/08
6 workshops
Ongoing rehearsal,
script
development,
expansion of play
in 30min
production.
Artscape High
Schools Drama
Competition.
Minor keys;
Classical Era;
Italian terms;
introduction to
sight-singing.
Performance of
piece at Artscape
Schools Arts
Festival.
On going exercises
on dialogue,
script-writing and
novel-writing.
Talented students
selected to attend
editing workshops
at the Centre for
the Book.
Preparation for
exhibition,
completion of
canvases.
After exhibition,
experimentation
with music and
art, exposure to
contemporary
artists, outing
Deepened
understanding of
subject, practice in
actively choosing,
creating and
rehearsing.
Term 4
01/10-26/10
4 workshops
Wrap-up
workshops,
training to train
Major/minor
intervals;
Romantic Era;
Recognizing
instruments/
voice parts; Sight
singing
Individualized
writing and
preparation for
publication of best
work by Centre for
the Book.
Completion of
work, wrap-up,
training, possibly a
camp.
Sense of
achievement from
performance/
exhibition of own
work, successful
production enjoyed
by greater
community
A few
committed/talented
learners selected to
assist in workshops
of following year
Proof of Impact
Poetry and Creative Writing Workshops

One participant, Asanda Gonya, has published two poems in the poetry journal Carapace and has
also published a collection of his own poems, Blinding Mirrors, with a grant from the Centre for the
Book.

SAEP’s Art Outreach Programme co-sponsored a poetry competition for township high school
students and community residents, the winners of which were published in the community
newspaper iIndaba Zasekhaya. The panel of judges included the well-known poet Gus Ferguson, Dr.
Harry Garuba of the University of Cape Town, and Dr Helen Moffett of the African Gender Institute.

One high school learner, Noluyanda Roxwana, published a short story in the science fiction journal
Probe 127.

In May 2008, ten learners from Sophumelela High School participated in the Cape Town Literature
Festival hosted by the Arts & Culture Unit of the Social Development Department. They took part in
a poetry workshop and poetry reading run by James Matthews and Melody Shevlane.

All learners who take part in the poetry and Creative Writing workshops were encouraged to write a
poem for the SAEP “Arts Festival” in June 2008 and those selected performed their poems at the
festival.
Drama Workshops

One of the participants, Asanda Gonya, wrote the script for and directed the entry of Oscar Mpetha
High School in the Artscape High School Arts Festival in 2005.

Another participant, Shiela Yabo, wrote the script for and directed the entry of Sinethemba Senior
Secondary School in the Artscape High School Arts Festival in 2006.

In 2008 the 5 UCT Drama students studying Community Theatre gave workshops in 3 schools. They
coached their groups to give school-wide performances and showcase their talent at the SAEP Arts
Festival.
Visual Arts

Art as a matric subject. In the 2006 matric examinations, students from Sinethemba Senior
Secondary School, for whom we had arranged to take art lessons at the Frank Joubert Art and
Design Centre, wrote matric in Painting and Sculpture and did very well. Five learners wrote
painting and their results were two A’s, one B, one D and an E, with an average of 72%. Two
learners wrote sculpture; one received an A and the other a B, earning an average between them of
over 82%. No students at the school had ever before written subjects in art.

Post matric artist. In 2004, SAEP was approached by a talented young artist, Khaya Sinyile, for
assistance in pursuing an artistic career. SAEP arranged for him to have private art lessons and then
to enroll in the Community Arts Project in Cape Town, where he has been able to establish himself
as a painter and begin to show and sell his work.
In 2008, 17 grade ten learners began extra mural classes at Frank Joubert. They will continue these
classes in 2009, in addition to lessons in Art History.

Music

Two participants in SAEP’s programmes have gone on to perform in and assist in the production of
two gospel CDs: Malibongwe Igama Lakhe, the Holy Living Male Voices Group, Cape Town and NGO
1972 Somerset, Abavakalisi (Isicathamiya).

In 2008 two Music classes were started by SAEP at Oscar Mpetha High School and Philippi High.
These learners were taught basic music theory and then went on to form Marimba groups. They
were taught by AmaAmbush Marimba’s and reached an almost professional level by the end of the
year.
Artistic Careers





Xolani May (2003) studied voice at the University of Cape Town for two years and is now organizing
a music production company.
Nezile Ntutha (2004) has been awarded a bursary to study at AFDA in 2007 after an internship at
Artscape.
Khangelani Mtyhalela (2004) has completed the equivalent of two years at AFDA.
Sandiso Phaliso (2004) publishes articles regularly in the Cape Argus.
Shiela Yabo (2006) has been admitted to study Drama, Film, and Media at UCT in 2007.