ASSITEJ international turns 60 this year. A lot has evolved over the years, since its birth in France, now with many centres globally, one of them being ASSITEJ South Africa. I wonder what this milestone may mean for us?
Recently I heard a story of someone who used to prepare well for their sermons. They had a special place where they hid their notes in the church, ready for their sermons. It is said that one day some children saw the written sermons. They took them and replaced them with blank papers. When the time to preach came, the person went to their usual hiding place to get their sermon. On this particular day though, there were only blank pages to be found. Faced with this new reality, they went on to preach from the blank pages.
If we were in a theatre-making process, we would call the blank page an opportunity for improvisation; the “yes, and” moment where one’s tacit knowledge is experienced intuitively. It is said that on that day this person gave their best sermon ever.
I have been pondering why I heard the story as the year concluded. With all the notes we have about the rights of children to Participation, Protection and Provision of services, what would we do if our notes disappeared? Without our prepared scripts what would we do for the children in 2025? What are some of the taken-for-granted assumptions that need to be approached from blank pages?
I am grappling with the role of technology in either amplifying the plight of children or placing them in a vulnerable space.
I am aware that ASSITEJ International has commissioned a number of research strands to help us address the plight of young people.
From my initial engagements with these research findings, I am glad that many blank spaces have been left for national centres to contexualise and implement accordingly.
Perhaps that is why I heard the story of the blank notes…
I would be keen to know what the blank pages may mean for you.
– Lalu Mokuku is the Chairperson of ASSITEJ South Africa. She serves in ASSITEJ International as one of the vice Presidents. She will be attending the artistic encounter that coincides with the ASSITEJ 60th birthday in Marseilles, France.
