A blog written by Anouk Menko, participant of the SevenSenses ‘Education Talent Challenge’ 2016, Kenya
Last couple of weeks i’ve been talking to many different people in Lunga Lunga about talent and education. It showed me how important it is to be here, and get all their different perspectives. I would like to share these perspectives with you. If you have anything to add, please do!
Talent and education, what does it actually mean? Let’s start with the most general definition. Google tells me that education teaches people how to function within society, talent on the other hand is a natural ability to be good at something, especially without being taught.
For me both definitions sound a bit vague. Many questions pop up in my mind. How does this work in informal settlements like Lunga Lunga where education is not available for everyone but their social connectedness is more alive than any other place i’ve ever been. Talent on the other hand seems to be widespread here, so they are good in things without being taught, but they are struggling to make a living out of it. What is missing? Could a combination of talent and education be the solution?
Talking to several people that are part of different youth organizations within Lunga, taught me that life is a journey of meeting the right people, sharing knowledge, working hard and inspiring the next generation.
Most of them started exploring their talents (e.g. art, dance, yoga, acrobatics) because they couldn’t afford to go to secondary school/college. It is not the easiest way. Many drop-outs start selling drugs or become thieves. Selling drugs is a quick way of earning money, and with not that many opportunities around, it is an easy way to follow. But luckily the people i met prefered to take the right path. This is how:
The people i spoke with all gave me 1 or 2 names that have been very important in their lives. They inspired them, shared their knowledge, motivated them to grow their talents and created an opportunity and a place for them to do so. Having a role model seems to be crucial as the first years of this journey are challenging. 9 out of 10 performance will not pay you, paintings will not sell etc. It is easy to quit and start earning quick money in a different way. But you are learning, you are growing as an artist and you have a purpose.
That 1 performance that does pay you gives you opportunities to grow further. This money can be used to follow a course, for example marketing or English. This is where education comes in. You developed your talent but you need to sell your talent as well. If you want to make it, you have to speak English and know how to promote your art/skills. You have to be able to read a contract and network your way around. Meeting the right people can get the ball rolling. Most of the artist even had some performance abroad. Apparently African arts are more appreciated outside Africa than inside, whats making it quite hard for artist to start up in Africa.
What i found most inspiring so far is how they are not going after the money but are giving back to the community. They are teaching the next generation, creating opportunities that will prevent them from taking the wrong path. They are even using their talent to educate people. A dance play about epilepsy or teaching eco-yoga to make people aware of climate change and let them connect with nature again are some of the great examples i heard.
Carefully drawing up a conclusion, one could say that education and talent are way more intertwined here than in the Netherlands. It is learning by doing and doing it with your heart that gets you further step by step.
Talking about steps, next step in this action research will be a workshop to generate new ideas of combining talent and education to fulfil the needs within the community (these needs are currently being researched by my fellow colleagues Guyonne and Sylvia).
