This was my first official event at Justice Desk Africa since I started working for the organisation and I felt truly overwhelmed, excited, and nervous in anticipation of the event. Working behind the scenes, aiding in setting everything up and all the prep work that went into ensuring the show happens without any flaws was super stressful, but in a good way!
The atmosphere and general vibe at the V&A Waterfront were phenomenal. The amount of support and encouragement that was received was amazing. I loved watching the kids show their stories through their art and voices. It felt as if my heart wanted to explode out of my chest with pride, knowing that they themselves didn’t think they were capable of doing it and then seeing them on the stage owning the performances and their work was something to cherish forever.
Watching the show in real time gave me goosebumps, I don’t think I have ever experienced such a moment of awe and amazement while watching a show. I’m not sure why, but I was taken aback by how we were able to lock in the audience and make them stay for the entire duration of the show (that was truly amazing). Seeing the audience’s engagement and general interest in the work of JDA was astonishing. I clearly remember helping at the merch table and the number of people who came up to the stall to acknowledge the work of JDA and wanted to know how they could help was amazing.
These kids had me in awe with their spirit, commitment, and dedication. In the weeks leading up to the event we were confronted by the very volatile taxi strike here in Cape Town, which made it nearly impossible for the kids to get to JDA to rehearse and prepare for their performances, but they are so strong-willed and were so determined to make sure that the event does happen, that they didn’t let the taxi stop them. We had an operation called “Get Our Kids” where we got a police escort to help get the kids out of their communities which were not safe for them at the time and to the JDA headquarters. When they got to JDA, they were full of life and excitement and it showed in their performances. I feel privileged to have been part of such an amazing event.
Written by Mishelene Hartnick