The Imagine Nation

My name is Luthando, I am 11 years old and I live in Vrygrond.

Some people only know my community by what is hard here: the wind that shakes the walls, the nights when loud sounds make everyone stop talking. But when I am at the ASSITEJ after-school arts program, I forget the noise and danger for a while. I draw houses that don't shake. I tell stories to people who have never been here.

The first time theatre came into our space, I didn’t know what to expect. Then the actors began, and the room changed. A story stood in front of us, with voices, bodies, laughter and silence. For that time, the world felt bigger than fear.

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ASSITEJ South Africa brings theatre and the performing arts to children and young people and supports artists, teachers and communities to make those moments po...