Zambian School Art Competition

What was the last poem you wrote about? For some that might have been a long time ago back when you were forced to in grade school [hopefully not though]. What was the subject? High school love? Snowboarding? The mountains? The prairies? The Ocean?

Katalausha took me to see the Livingstone School art competition, the winners of which would go on to compete at the district level. Sadly I couldn’t see his pupils compete because, as National champions, they only had to defend their title at the higher levels. But I did see many other schools perform. I saw the tribal dances that are performed when a girl comes of age and she is sent away to be taught about issues with being a women. Several other tribal dances [there is quite an array with all the tribes there are in this area]. Also poetry readings, the most beautiful coral music, and drama.

The poetry was what really struck me. I am remember the poetry my classmates made when I was in grade school, and it is a far cry from the poetry of Zambian children. The themes they write about are child trafficking, HIV, and sexual abuse. One, very small boy, standing on the stage in his rags which are his stage clothes, spoke with such profound outrage that I would be tempted to say he was speaking from the bottom of his feet but the amount of outrage could never fit into such a small body. As if Zambian children not only have the invisible bounty of energy you see in children world wide, but an invisible bounty of outrage at how the world can be stacked against them.