Theatre and Drama students experience trip of a lifetime to South Africa

Theatre and Drama students at the University of South Wales have recently enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime trip to South Africa, as they took part in an educational and cultural exchange with the University of Cape Town.

The group of third-year students spent two weeks in South Africa’s capital, attending a range of workshops where they created original theatre pieces in response to various prompts.

These included visits to the Slave Lodge Museum and National Gallery; personal stories and how they intersect with local, national or global histories; songs and stories in different languages; and the complex histories between Wales, the UK, and South Africa.

The students explored the most famous tourism spots in Cape Town, including Cape Point, and the penguin colony at Boulders beach, as well as a visit to Robben Island – the prison where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years as a political prisoner fighting Apartheid.

They also visited various community development projects with Uthando organisations in Mitchell's Plain and Khayelitsha, including an eco-gardening project, a children's nursery programme, and a school music programme. There, they were introduced to a community theatre group who performed extracts of their current play.

Jamie Jackson, one of the USW students took part in the trip, said: “I am super grateful to have had this opportunity. It was my first time on a plane (that I can remember – I’m told that last time I flew, I was a baby!) so to see the sunrise and sunset from my window seat was glorious.

“One of the most memorable parts of the trip has to be going on safari and meeting a cheetah, which was amazing, and I loved going up Table Mountain and overlooking the whole of Cape Town.”

Leiarra Hunt also went on the trip. She said: “The excursion I was most looking forward to was easily Robben Island – I studied South Africa and Black history at GCSE level, and had such a passion for that specific topic. So to actually step foot on the island and walk around the site that I’d read about in a history book felt unbelievably surreal. It was so eye-opening, and to be guided through the prisoner by a former inmate was a moment I’ll never forget.

“The trip was packed with learning experiences, and I have seen and done things that have changed me and my perspective of life. The amazing Theatre students at the University of Cape Town were so welcoming, and to have the opportunity to go on safari and visit local schools in more deprived areas gave me an insight into the real South Africa – a place of community, hope, and imagination.”

Michael Carklin, senior lecturer in Drama at USW, added: “It was an incredible experience, journeying with our students to South Africa and seeing them learn so much from the collaborative theatre work they did with their counterparts at the University of Cape Town.

“Each student from USW and UCT brought an object from home that represented their own sense of identity, offering a rich springboard for creating meaningful work together. Exploring the history, culture and communities of Cape Town through these unique encounters were a key part of our learning, not just about South Africa but of ourselves and the world.

“We are so grateful to Taith for a grant that enabled us to undertake this life-changing experience, and to all the supporters of our crowdfunding campaign and other fundraising activities. Diolch o galon!”