The Artscape Theatre Centre, in partnership with Brouhaha International in Liverpool, recruited two emerging artists to represent South Africa in Liverpool to participate in the European Voluntary Service exchange programme.
The programme ran from May until August.
One of them was Chenal Kock, 24, who describes herself as a “mixed but not fixed creative artist” from Beacon Valley.
Last year Chenal received the Kanna award for her production In die Woud for the best Children’s Theatre Production – an inaugural award and a category that was judged by a children’s panel (“Take a bow, Chenal”, Plainsman, June 28 2017).
In Liverpool, Chenal and actor, director and arts photographer Jeremeo Le Cordeur, 30, from Wellington, interacted with 13 participants representing Brazil, Cuba, Jamaica, Trinidad and Zambia in the European Voluntary Service (EVS) programme. “When I saw the requirements, it spoke to me and I knew I had to apply for this,” said Chenal. “We did workshops in our different art forms and had to be ready to do anything and be creative.
“There were so many opportunities for all of us to grab hold of. It was nice to see how interested they were in South Africa, especially what their understanding of being a coloured is. It was so nice to say we come from Mitchell’s Plain,” she said.
Jeremeo added that he was excited and eager to be selected to represent the Artscape and South Africa in the programme.
Chenal said during their stay in Liverpool, they had learned a lot about other cultures, had participated in a Pride Festival and staged a production at the end of the programme.
“It was only through my experience at Liverpool that I became proud of being a South African. I did not know that much about South Africa, but once you’re over there, you too want to know more so that you can tell others of the beautiful place you’re in. It was truly a great experience,” she said.