Body
Objective
Learners practice public telling by writing a short narrative essay.
Activity
Instruction: Imagine your life as a river, which roughly corresponds to the chronological order of events in your real life. For example, the river can be calm and straight, or perhaps bubbling during the good or happy times. The river might then wind itself around large, imposing rocks that represent obstacles you’ve faced. Think of relationships, or key moments with your family and friends, or encounters with people who are different to you. A major bend in the river could represent a major life change, such as moving away from home. A waterfall could represent those times when you feel like you lost control and were caught in a downward spiral.
Think also of your river in terms of some key moments in South Africa’s history, and
in terms of significant encounters with ‘the other’ (whatever that may mean to you).
Remind the learners that this is not a test of their drawing abilities, and that the drawings will only be for themselves. They don’t need to worry about how ‘good’ their drawings are.