Play highlights impact of gangs on families

Tremendous strides are being made legally to address gender based-violence but preventative interventions at school level are crucial.

So says Tyrone Parks, the co-ordinator of Mitchell’s Plain Development Action Collective (MPDAC).

Mr Parks was speaking to the Plainsman at a Women’s Day event at Tafelsig High School on Wednesday August 7.

At the event the cast of The Ballroom Boy, a theatre production that turns the spotlight on the challenges faced by families impacted by crime, had pupils on the edge of their seats with the play, which was commissioned and produced by Stigting vir die Bemagtiging deur Afrikaans (SBA).

The play tells the gripping story of a mother and her two sons whose family are destroyed by gang violence.

The Ballroom Boy cast was invited to perform at the school by MPDAC as part of its “Harm reduction and prevention” drive at the school.

The theme of the event was “Girls and boys leading the fight against all forms of crime and violence. Together, working towards a safe school for a safer community”.

Mr Parks said of the thousands of South Africans killed violently annually most of the victims are women and girls.

“In crime-riddled communities such as Tafelsig, it is often the mothers and grandmothers that must mostly deal with after-effects of this crime,” he explained.

Mr Parks said awareness and preventative interventions of such crimes at school level is crucial.

“We need to continuously look at the work we do with young girls and boys at school. This work that needs to be done is very deep and challenging and requires an all-of-society approach. It also needs to be done creatively, and in an entertaining way for young people,” he added.

Ben Gibbons from SBA introduced the 400 Grade 8 to 10 pupils to key messaging of The Ballroom Boy and the role of the organisation when it comes to creating awareness about social issues.

“The most important letter in our name is ‘B’, for Bemagtiging (empowerment). We empower many communities across the country, but empowerment and creating awareness go together. Through this drama, we are able to make communities like yours aware of the challenges experienced by families,” Mr Gibbons said.

After the performance, Families South Africa (FAMSA) and Genderworks facilitator Lesley Thomas, addressed pupils on the importance of processing the impact of the content of the play, as well as the greater impact of violence.

“Some people might look at the play and get shocked by it or identify with their own struggles and pain. The message is that you didn’t just come to watch the play, feel touched and moved by it, and then you leave it.

“If you identify with what you saw, maybe it happened in your family, or is still happening in your family, you need to understand that there are processes that are put in place for you to be able to go through it. We need to process what we go through, otherwise we take our anger out on others,” Mr Thomas said.

He explained that processing is a necessary step towards healing and restoration of individuals and families impacted by violence, including perpetrators of such acts.

As part of its “Harm reduction and prevention” drive at Tafelsig High, MPDAC plans to follow up its Women’s Day event with prevention and awareness programmes and alternatives to violence interventions, with a focus on toxic masculinity and conflict management.

Tafelsig High acting principal, William Swartz, thanked MPDAC for its interventions at the school as its teachers don't have the time and capacity to stage such programmes.

“These awareness programmes speak to the heart of what our learners experience daily – extreme poverty, drugs, and dysfunctional families to name a few.

“If we can provide them with some hope and resilience skills, it will go a long way in bringing healing and nurturing good citizenship,” Mr Swartz said.