Arts and children's development
The name SAMAWA comes from the translation of the Swahili "sanaa na ma endeleo ya watoto" Sanaa means "art", 'na' is conjunction 'with,' or 'and' ma endeleo is development, ya means "of" and watoto means "children": "Art for the development of children"
Samawa is an exciting project whose goal is to develop the creative arts talent in children, (pre-school and upwards) an area which formal education tends to overlook. This is being achieved through dance, drama performances and song. Samawa provides arts education to children in schools and communities and promotes creative expression and imagination using their culture and heritage as a reference point.
WildiZe Foundation has been with this initiative from the very beginning. Funding has included:
Providing English course for volunteers
Funding training for the teachers and leadership workshops
Providing video and filming materials
Funding the opening of centers in other districts
Promoting the use of art as a teaching methodology.
Start up funding to construct the SAMAWA Home! site in Bagomoyo, which is still under construction due to needed further funding.
As its name implies, the project integrates into private and national schools. Understanding the importance of this project is to realize that arts education in Tanzanian schools is not a part of the official curriculum, and therefore not considered of importance by either the state or the parents as compared to academic subjects. Overcoming this bias has been one of SAMAWA's greatest challenges.
Currently the project operates in 4 primary schools, at three different locations: St. Therese and Hekima Schools in Dar es Salaam, Kongo School in Bagomoyo. and Kantui School in Kilembero. Cleng'a Ng'gatigwa, the director, along with a host of volunteers drawn from professional arts communities together with the children at the local sites, write original drama and musical presentations. The communities support the project however rarely can they afford to financially fund it.
Cleng'a N'gatigwa is the founder/director of SAMAWA. He is an artist by talent and professionally. He has a Diploma in in arts from Bagamoyo National College and received an opportunity to go to France and the United States where he shared his knowledge and abilities in art and cultural communities. When he was growing up in the village, he used to attend traditional dance ceremonies and experienced how the dances were used to carry messages about day to day life. After completing his art and cultural studies, he created the idea of using art, in all its forms, to develop the artistic talents in children as a way of participatory learning. Fine arts, Theatre arts, Creative arts and dance are used throughout SAMAWA's teachings as illustrations toward learning mathematics, lifeways and interactions between people and their environment.
POSITVE UNEXPECTED BENEFIT of SAMAWA is that the project has helped the children who participate to be more confident of themselves, improved their academic performaces and grades in standard curriculum class work, all while providing a more informed grasp of basic issues of life and education. The outstanding acheivement of improvement of grade averages per student means that those schools and who participate with SAMAWA reach a higher overall standing in the national averages. There is no doubt that SAMAWA is having an impact on a large cross-section of people, parents, teachers, and students throughout Tanzania.
