Little bit of magic brings world of books alive

You work as a facilitator of arts programmes for children. Why are the arts so great for helping people to express themselves?

In my view, the arts are a magical tool and platform for self-expression because there’s no room for judgment or hate. 

The arts is entertaining but have the power to trigger personal introspection.

A lot of people are only familiar with circus stereotype.

Tell us a little bit about what it means to be a clown in your experience?

To be honest, I also used to view clowns in a stereotypical manner.

I’ve since learned that clowns differ in their mission and personas just like everyone else.

They can tackle serious matters in a humorous way or just provide humour for the sake of giving people an opportunity to loosen up a little bit.

The biggest thing I’ve learned?

Clowns are not only for children but for everyone!

What kinds of work do you do with your organisation, Clowns Without Borders?

Under the banner of Clowns Without Borders SA, I am a clown, storyteller and artist facilitator. With our current tour, we’re clowning with the purpose of creating awareness of community libraries.

We use traditional storytelling intertwined with a little bit of magic. We often clown to bring about relief and joy to people who have experienced some form of a crisis.

There’s also a programme that we run called Sinovuyo Parenting Programme, which aims at strengthening relationships in families.

What are the best and most challenging parts of your work?

The best part is to see and hear laughter from both the young and old!

The feedback that we get from the audience is always heartwarming.

The feedback from participants in our parenting programme is also humbling. Funding can and does pose a challenge.

Clowns Without Borders work is dependent on funding and without it, we would not be able to do what we do.

Right now, you’re on a four-province tour to get people of all ages more involved with their local libraries.

How can physical storytelling help people to connect with written stories and spaces for sharing those?

I believe that physical and written storytelling is part of the same coin.

The thread of telling is woven within each and every one of us, but some of us cannot identify it because we are not sure what it looks like.

For instance, with the current tour there is magic and some circus skills displayed and every time someone enquires about those we refer them to treasure hut of knowledge: the library.

What has some of the highlights of your tour been so far?

Laughter, amazement, and joy from both the young and old.

The fact that we take theatre to ordinary people, at their doorstep for free.

What is the main message about storytelling and community involvement you’d like to get across to the people you work with?

Storytelling is not only for children – it is for everyone. It is part of who we are. After all, the best-remembered information and faces are those that are told to us as a story.

Clowning is a very physical storytelling.

Do you find that helps a lot with engaging people with different languages and abilities?

Yes absolutely, because it’s more about allowing your imagination to soar.

It leaves no room for exclusion.

We clowns perform our stories in different parts of the world and therefore encounter different languages, but the humour and the message of our show lands pretty well wherever we go.

How can people get to see your free library shows?

The Nal’ibali team do activations within the community prior to our visits, distributing posters and flyers. Check us out on social media!

● Nal’ibali is SA’s reading-forenjoyment campaign. Aimed at helping children to fall in love with books and reading, Nal’ibali is supporting adults and caregivers in championing children’s literacy in their communities through its FUNda Leader volunteer network and FUNda Sonke loyalty programme. Find out more at www.nalibali.org or www.nalibali.mobi.