We were young
I don’t want to wake up at six in the morning anymore to go to school! And anyway, school is boring! Why should I waste my time sitting in class, learning nothing?
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Estomine and Bergo performing |
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Some learners look forward to being finished with school, even if it takes dropping out of school. They think that life after school is better, but the reality is that without education, life after school can be really difficult. OYO’s new play therefore addresses important issues such as drug and alcohol abuse, risky sexual behaviours and teenage pregnancy, by investigating the question: Why do young people “go off the rails”? Peer pressure amongst young people who are unemployed and have only limited options is particularly problematical in this regard: often young people engage in petty crime to be like their peers, without understanding the consequences of what they are doing. But many young people successfully resist peer pressure. In order to be the destructive force that it is, peer pressure requires the assistance of negative judgement and social discrimination.
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Philippe directing a scene, here with sound recordist Maciek and actors Paulus and Willie |
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“I’ve always been a below-average student,” says Norman Kapunda, who plays the role of John in the production We were young. “This was a huge issue for my parents, especially my mom, seeing as she was the principal at one of Windhoek’s primary schools … I was expected to do well, so when I didn’t, my parents would punish me by grounding me.”
And Estomine Haradoes, who plays the role of Patricia, asks, “Do you have any idea how it feels to be called names: ‘Stupid’, ‘Idiot’, ‘Retard’? High school for me was a four-year nightmare.”
We were young investigates the lives of four young people who, for one reason or another, have turned their backs on their education. Through hurt and hope, disappointment and joy, it follows their journey over some months. The cast is led by Bergo van Wyk (who played in A crack in the wall) and Nyandee Mbarandongo (The Namibian Odysseus). The show was performed in Windhoek, in schools and at the College of the Arts Theatre School, and toured in Kunene and Erongo regions, where it was presented to schools and communities. It reached 11,242 people during this tour.
The stage version was also adapted and recorded as a DVD. For this project, Eric Boamah, Johannes Magongo, Paulus Shilongo and Willie Iiyambo (all of whom featured in The Namibian Odysseus) joined the cast to give more depth to the production. The stage version has also attracted the attention of the Ministry of Education’s BES III project, and the Ministry further sponsored the production to tour to Ohangwena and Oshana regions in June, reaching an additional 12,657 people.
We were young is therefore one of OYO’s greatest successes to date.
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