Cultural exchange at Tygersig Primary School
7 November 2019
Learners at Tygersig Primary School in Uitsig were recently wowed by an orchestral performance by a group of visiting musicians from Paraguay.
The young musicians’ performance was even more remarkable because all their instruments are made from scrap materials collected from a landfill.
“What an honour for our children to listen to music played with instruments made of recycled materials and played by an orchestra all the way from Paraguay in South America,” one of the teachers remarked.
The Recycled Orchestra of Cateura was formed in 2012 and they have performed internationally with Stevie Wonder and the American heavy-metal bands Metallica and Megadeth as well as performed in 49 countries around the world.
The visitors in turn enjoyed a Riel Dance performance by the school’s learners.
A teacher at the school, Karoneshia Nel, has been teaching learners the indigenous dance to expose them to the Khoi Culture and offer a safe alternative to gang violence that is prevalent in the area. Nel said the learners are benefitting greatly and there has been a marked improvement in learner attendance, discipline and their academic performance.
What a wonderful cultural exchange of music, art, and dance!
Watch this AMAZING video on how these learners have transformed recycled material into musical instruments!