South Africa: Healing Through Creative Expression

Each time Professor Tally Tripp takes art therapy majors abroad, she notices a distinct change when they return.

 

“They come back to the U.S. much more culturally competent and self-aware because they are expected to look at their personal histories, perspectives and cultural biases as they provide culturally sensitive art therapy services in diverse international settings,” she said.

 

The university’s art therapy students have traveled to France, India and South Africa in past years. This summer, the department organized a second trip to South Africa so that 11 art therapy graduate students could apply their counseling skills in a multicultural environment. 

 

Because of its history of race, gender and class issues, South Africa is a unique place to use arts and culture as a lens to understand social challenges. GW students worked primarily with Winterveld’s Bokamoso Youth Center, an organization for at-risk young people, and provided daily art therapy sessions.

 

Every morning, GW students woke up and gathered South African youths into a circle for morning songs, dances and drama exercises. They also participated in class discussions on cross-cultural topics and used their free time to get to know young South Africans more intimately by going on walks and visiting families.

 

“Spending mornings singing and dancing with the youth of Winterveld—in conjunction with leading art therapy groups in the afternoons—made my South Africa experience unforgettable. Every interaction was unique, and the acceptance of diversity was astounding,” said second-year graduate student Annie Gittess.

 

Theater professor Leslie Jacobson joined Ms. Tripp and helped design the course for art therapy students. She also served as a mentor to seniors Floyd Jones and Victoria Neiman-Vigo, two undergraduates conducting research projects in Winterveldt. Ms. Jacobson has developed an ongoing relationship between GW and the Bokamoso Youth Center—she has collaborated with composer Roy Barber to create 11 theater productions and three books of poetry that feature the work of young people from the center. 

 

Ms. Jacobson explained that GW’s visit was particular helpful this summer because the Bokamoso community was dealing with the unexpected death of the center’s longtime director, Solomon Mahlangu.

 

“The arts played a vital part in their healing process,” she said. “Theater is a powerful transformative tool, enabling these young men and women of Bokamoso to express their thoughts and feelings, to develop focus and concentration, and to experiment with new behaviors through improvisation.”

 

She added that the undergraduate students were warmly welcomed into the Bokamoso community, and that both of them will help her plan the week-long GW visit by 12 Bokamoso youth, scheduled for February 2015. 

 

One of the trip highlights occurred when Vusi Mtkawende, a talented South African artist, helped the group create two vibrant murals for the center. The mural project directly addressed the healing process for Bokamoso, and reflects the strengths and resiliency of the community. GW students grew closer to the Bokamoso youths as they worked side by side to mix paint by hand and brush images onto the building’s walls. 

 

“In both mural processes, Bokamoso youth and GW students were really excited to share in the process and create large art pieces that will be positive reminders of the strength of the community and our work together,” Ms. Tripp said. “The experience was enriching for us all.”