Art Therapy In Namibia

So it’s about two weeks since we touched down in Africa. After a brief layover in the shiniest of airports (Johannesburg, South Africa) we finally landed in Windhoek, Namibia. Unfortunately, we had some miscommunication
with South African Airways, and we ended up having to ship half of our baggage separately. The extra baggage filled with all of our art supplies, that is!  All said and done, that was $500 USD we did not budget in. Good thing we know how to self soothe (therapist joke!). Seven to ten working days later, Christi and I made the 500km trek to Windhoek from our temporary homestead on the NamibRand Reserve, and at last we retrieved our supplies!

Since arriving without most of our materials, working with the first group was a bit challenging but successful nonetheless. The children from Cambridge Primary School from Aranos reminded us that our training prepared us to work with what is available and the importance of being present. The benefit of creating small groups helped Christi and I form relationships and grant the attention that these children were seeking. It is typical in most Namibian schools to have 40-45 students per classroom with just one teacher and Art is usually not a subject that is incorporated into their curriculum. We were able to introduce the minimal supplies we had to the kids, allowing them to experiment with another form healthy expression.

The first week we learned right along side of the kids. Before, our knowledge of the NaDEET program was limited to the website, but now we acquired the knowledge for sustainable living in the desert! However, fitting in our time to meet with the kids in small groups was more or less difficult. Without the abundance of our supplies, we were still able to meet with all the children in separate groups, five to seven children at a time. These groups focused on art as self expression and experimentation as most of the children had not used some art supplies before.

One night, we divided the kids in four groups to introduce the creation of a group mandala with the focus on the environment and the desert. Although the students live in Namibia, some were visiting the desert for the first time. It was very rewarding to see the children utilizing the materials and working together in a shared space.

After the first week with the children and settling in, NaDEET director, Viktoria Kedding, sat down with us to restructure the curriculum and make time for art groups. She graciously worked the schedule so that Christi and I would be able to meet with the same kids throughout the week. Yet another addition to the program: open studio time during the children’s recess.  It’s great to know what we have to look forward to with this next school group.

We now have one week before the next group arrives and found ourselves in the midst of many art related projects here at NaDEET. This includes the creation of a mural illustrating the importance of solar cooking! And yes, we know how to make a loaf of bread baked by the sun. Bringing this trick back to the states!