International Volunteers Arrive In Hoedspruit
HOEDSPRUIT- A group of ten educational volunteers has recently arrived in Hoedspruit from the United States, the UK and Australia. Employed by the local not-for-profit organisation Amazwi (meaning “voices” in Zulu) the volunteers bring experience in writing, editing, publishing, photography, public relations, and marketing.
The organisation was established by Maggie Messitt in 2004, and will open a School of Media Arts (SOMA) in March 2007. SOMA will offer an adult certificate program with training in narrative journalism to unemployed women from Acornhoek and other local communities.
Several of the volunteers will also participate in the Amazwi Writers & Artists Residency Program, while others will spend their time in Hoedspruit establishing "A. Magazine"- Africa’s first non-fiction literary journal.
Amazwi was recently awarded a grant from the Lonely Planet Foundation, part of the world’s largest travel information company. The grant money, equivalent to approximately US$15,000 or 105,000 ZAR, will be used to establish a regional narrative-form newspaper. This publication will serve as the cornerstone of curricula for Amazwi’s School of Media Arts (SOMA).
Amazwi volunteers enjoy a traditional meal in Rooiboklaagte, a section of Acornhoek, during a community tour.
Messitt and her volunteers have moved into their new offices in Hoedspruit. In addition to headquartering the South African/U.S. organization’s operations, this space will also host the first class of the Amazwi School of Media Arts (SOMA). Amazwi’s offices are located at Hoedspruit Crossing, next to Imagine Africa Safaris.
Thoko Makwakwa, sangoma (traditional healer) and local tavern owner, teaches Amazwi volunteers about throwing the bones. Photo by Sheri Booker.
For more information on Amazwi, please visit their Web site: www.amazwi.org.
The organisation was established by Maggie Messitt in 2004, and will open a School of Media Arts (SOMA) in March 2007. SOMA will offer an adult certificate program with training in narrative journalism to unemployed women from Acornhoek and other local communities.
Several of the volunteers will also participate in the Amazwi Writers & Artists Residency Program, while others will spend their time in Hoedspruit establishing "A. Magazine"- Africa’s first non-fiction literary journal.
Amazwi was recently awarded a grant from the Lonely Planet Foundation, part of the world’s largest travel information company. The grant money, equivalent to approximately US$15,000 or 105,000 ZAR, will be used to establish a regional narrative-form newspaper. This publication will serve as the cornerstone of curricula for Amazwi’s School of Media Arts (SOMA).
Amazwi volunteers enjoy a traditional meal in Rooiboklaagte, a section of Acornhoek, during a community tour.
Messitt and her volunteers have moved into their new offices in Hoedspruit. In addition to headquartering the South African/U.S. organization’s operations, this space will also host the first class of the Amazwi School of Media Arts (SOMA). Amazwi’s offices are located at Hoedspruit Crossing, next to Imagine Africa Safaris.
Thoko Makwakwa, sangoma (traditional healer) and local tavern owner, teaches Amazwi volunteers about throwing the bones. Photo by Sheri Booker.
For more information on Amazwi, please visit their Web site: www.amazwi.org.
Labels: acornhoek, bushbuckridge, development, hoedspruit
posted by Kruger2Canyons.com at
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
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