The School Corridor Tatler

About a month ago, we celebrated Mothers's Day. Yesterday was Fathers's Day and today is Youth Day. In less than two months, on 09 August we will be celebrating Women's Day. In effect, all those who make up a family unit will be acknowledged and affirmed for the profound roles they play in their families and communities in this cycle of celebrations.   But alas, in most instances we are merely ceremonial, doing the talks and the shows. We don't really want to deal with the real issues of absent fathers, broken families and disenchanted youth. Cathy ( not her real name) and her family are a case in point.   Cathy's family typifies how deeply scarred we are. Cathy, a mother of five children, is a recovering abused victim. She has finally divorced her abusive husband, but she is still sharing a home with him because she depends on him financially. They are two strangers stuck together because of circumstances. The battle lines are drawn and all the family members are

Thanks to my dear lifelong friend, Carol van der Rheede,I went to see the stage production, "In a Man's world" at the Artscape Women and Humanity Arts Festival on the opening night of the festival last Thursday. The Opening Ceremony The ceremony of the opening night was a well orchestrated inclusive multi-sensory experience. Besides one or two longwinded speeches, it was indeed a powerful statement of how we can embrace all - the 'humanity' aspect. I was fascinated with a young girl - wheelchair bound- who exuded confidence and charisma despite the adult crowd. The arts have a particular responsibility to keep alive the conversations about the ongoing challenges facing people - including all the groups at risk like those with disabilities, women who face untold abuse and even men who are steeped in the macho culture that pervades our nation. It is a bold artistic response of Artscape to tackle head on the all pervasive macho culture and the various  forms