By Frederick Philander
WINDHOEK
Eleven more secondary schools, colleges and the University of Namibia will get the opportunity to see the knockout AIDS puppet play, The Trumpet Player, next month for free – courtesy of a sponsorship by the Bank Windhoek Festival.
This was announced by the national coordinator of Assitej-Namibia (Organization of Theatre for Children and Young People), Richard Swartz, who is presently working in Oshakati at the Erundu Secondary School on his organization’s education theatre outreach programme.
“We are very much indebted to Bank Windhoek for financially supporting our efforts to stage the play to as many children and young people in the capital as possible,” said Swartz, who acts in the puppet play. The new performance schedule, the second, kicks off on April 14 with a performance for the AIDS Club at the Polytechnic of Namibia.
The Finnish embassy has financed the first phase of creating the play and youth theatre centre performances.
Moves are also afoot to conclude a smart partnership deal in educational theatre with Bank Windhoek, to be confirmed on July 1.
“This will to a large extent help us become less dependent on foreign financial assistance, something we cannot afford to be without right now.
Furthermore, negotiations are also currently underway with the American
Cultural Center to implement phase three of our performance tour to more schools in the Khomas Region. We hope to bring the play to the more than 170 schools in the Khomas Region over the next few months, finances permitting,” he said.
In Swartz’s opinion, The Trumpet Player should be seen by every school-going child in the country as part of his organization’s contribution towards the fight against the AIDS pandemic.
“We are planning such a national tour with the relevant authorities, because we feel this work can make a big difference in attitudes towards AIDS and relationships between effected and affected members in the society,” he concluded.
The commissioned play by Assitej-Namibia was written by Lize Kubersky and Michael Chiningua.