Sunday, July 8, 2012

Knowledge is Power: Stay Health


We gathered at Poli for the last time on Saturday to celebrate the students' hard work with a graduation ceremony.  Typical to African time, we waited for two hours until the ceremony began. To pass the time I took over thirty pictures with my students (I have limited myself to posting only ten to my flickr stream). When all parties arrived, including the DJ with his gigantic speakers, the ceremony began and students, parents, teachers and volunteers filled up the chairs outside just as the rain clouds moved away to uncover the sun which left me another reminder of just how close to the equator I am, even with it being the winter months. A boy beat a bucket-drum to set the pace for a group of Scouts who marched in line to the flagpole in middle of the school grounds where we were gathered. With direction from the scouts, the students sang the national anthem as a head boy raised the flag. Next came the anthem for Poli, sung loud and strong by the students so that the catchy chorus will remain imprinted in my memory to forever remind me of these past days at Poli. Then the scouts marched away and a group of girls danced onto the center area in synchronized movement. After two dances they left to be followed by two boys who impressed the crowd with their individual dancing talents. They danced until someone in the crowd slipped a few shillings in each of their pockets, appropriate for both humor and real appreciation of their entertainment. Next a smaller group of girls danced to the middle to sing and move to a head-swaying, hand-clapping, hip-shaking song dedicated to “Our Besti Teachers.” When they were finished and the claps and hoots from the audience ceased, another large group of girls entered in step, clapping and singing to a familiar hip hop song. Following the dance routines were three skits with scenarios presenting what the students had learned during camp.

Entertainment over, it was time for the guest speakers to take the floor to explain the mission of GSC, introduce the volunteers and TZ counterparts, and thank the teachers of Poli for allowing us to come. Next a special speaker shared his words of encouragement with the students to put what they have learned to practice and further expand on the way forward with the simple phrase: “Knowledge is Power” to which students reply with one of the many comical errors of Swahili-speakers speaking English, “Stay Health.” After the speech we handed out certificates to our students to congratulate them for their hard work. This ended the formal ceremony and we proceeded to the meal: rice, cabbage, meat in sauce, kachumbari (a mixture of cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions), banana, and soda drinks. The food was delicious as always and the ceremony was enjoyable, but the best part of the day was after lunch when the students, volunteers and counterparts released their bodies to the music that had stayed present throughout the day, only pausing for speakers. For more than two hours hips swayed, bellies rolled, and feet stepped to the hip-hop and reggae that pumped into the air a spirit of absolute freedom. Older and younger siblings joined to fill the courtyard with dancing bodies. I imagined the students danced until the DJ refused to play another song, but I left before this instance occurred.

The teachers made sure to thank us before leaving and shared the enthusiasm of the students for us being there- not just to teach but to serve as role models to relay a very important message: Knowledge is Power: Stay Health.

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