Getting arty…

This last week we had our very first Artists’ Workshop in Mbeya – another first! We invited our own art expert from Dar, Kenny, to teach and Matt was the one responsible for the admin and running of the workshop. That meant that the rest of us literacy people were able to sit back (a little bit!) and enjoy the ride. I wasn’t there for all of the week but what I was there for I really enjoyed.

Firstly, there was the fact that Kenny did a great job in teaching and the participants, who themselves had been drawing for a long time, really appreciated the insights he gave. He showed us how to draw everyday objects and people using the principles of drawing. He taught us guidelines to lay down that help when sketching scenery or a face. There were even several colleagues from the office who popped in to get some tips for their own sketching!

Another factor that was enjoyable was the participants we had. All were talented artists (we made sure to see a sample of their work before inviting them) but all were very grateful for the teaching they received. The participants were engaged, honest, and willing to learn even through making mistakes. Most were ‘average’ guys, many who have a stall at the market wherever they live, making a living drawing signs or painting walls. We are experienced at working with pastors or Sunday school teachers but it was really refreshing to work with a different cross-section of the community and to broaden the scope of our work. These guys put their noses to the grindstone and produced picture after picture, putting into practice what they’d learnt. The improvement after a week of guidance was evident and some really excellent finished pictures were displayed on Friday. Also, this is the first workshop that I didn’t see people nodding off a little after lunch (!) – the artists were passionate about their work and keen to improve.

This sounds like a lot of fun, you may say, but what relation does it bear to literacy work? Hopefully a great deal, would be the answer. Having illustrations in our books should make them a lot more attractive to potential readers. It will mean more for your money (literally) and if the pictures do the job they will expound and elaborate on our message – whether that be a local story or a health education booklet. Don’t they say: a picture tells a thousand words (or something to that effect!)? It will be a huge help to the new reader who is trying to grasp the meaning of the words and understand the overall message – the pictures will give them important clues. Also, our hope is that as the pictures will be drawn by local artists, they will be truly representative of their local area, scenery, people and customs. The reader will then recognise that this book is for or about them and will be more inclined to want to read it. Anyone will tell you that a book with pictures is simply a lot more interesting than one without.

So, the workshop now being over and many fond memories remaining of the thanks we received and the pictures that were drawn, we are hoping that the future of working with our newly trained artists will be just as joyful as the workshop has been!