Nokwe revives art therapy for children

Artist, actor and social activist Tu Nokwe has opened her home in Belgravia, Johannesburg, and turned it into a community centre where kids learn dance, music, poetry and drama for free. This is all part of her project, the Amajika Youth and Children Performing Arts. 

Nokwe founded the project in 1976 while she was still in high school and it has grown over the years, producing many performers including Imbewu actor Leleti Khumalo. The project, which has been put on hold many times due to Nokwe’s demanding career, has been restarted to assist young people.

According to Nokwe, since the country has been hit by the pandemic, with many parents dying due to Covid-19, and many others becoming unemployed, the project serves as therapy for the kids.

When Sowetan visited Nokwe and her team of volunteers at her house, 40 kids between the ages of six and 16 were busy learning drama, dance and poetry. Nokwe said since she started the project it attracted kids from Tembisa, Katlehong and Soweto. Nokwe also feeds the kids two meals a day from her own pocket and her friends donate whatever they have to assist the project.

“The reason I had to revive the project was because I realised that I was not living a full life, having neglected Amajika. I started small when lockdown began with family kids and posted on social media and soon we had young people coming here.  

"It became serious towards the end of the year.  We have teachers who are products of the Amajika project who are now working. We have been doing Saturday classes but the kids have also asked to come in on Fridays, so we are attending to them,” Nokwe  said.

“I have realised that the centre is a safe space for the kids where they are able to talk about what is bothering them at home. Through our drama classes, we have discovered that these kids come from troubled homes. Some are dealing with the pain of losing parents, for others it is issues of alcoholism at home that cause parents to fight as well as abuse them.”

Nokwe said the return of the Amajika project has made a huge difference to many children’s lives. She said she started the project to assist the children and empower them, even though she did not have funds.

“When I compare when these kids started there is a huge difference. Art is therapeutic indeed. They are extremely hopeful and happy. They love expressing themselves through art and also they feel safe here. We also involve Childline and psychologists where they're needed.”

Nokwe has also opened her house to musicians who want to access resources such as a sound system and rehearsal space while sharing their skills with young people in the process.  

“The idea is to have this space as an art residence where the artists are free to come here to find a sound stage and also be teachers. We want to turn it [the house] into a safe home that accommodates victims of gender-based violence who ran away from home while authorities look for a space to accommodate them.”

Nokwe studied music at the Manhattan International School in the US and returned home in 1996 when she released her first album, Inyaka Nyaka. She continued with the Amajajika project and travelled to countries such as Norway, Mozambique and Zimbabwe for various cultural exchange programmes.