Being a part of the first full Second Language Play at our school started with Candice’s vision very early on in this year of just such an endeavour. I was excited and somewhat hesitant… the play had dense parts, with complex, well-known Afrikaans poems and my concern was that we could stay stuck in explaining what is happening, or worse: translating every single word, when the children should be experiencing the language in more whole and connected ways.
Working together so closely with a colleague has been a wonderful weaving experience for me of coming in and out of Class 5 to help with the Afrikaans pronunciation and gestures to help understanding. It was wonderful to see the children blossom into a confidence with Afrikaans that I thought impossible in a group this young! And now of, course we have quite a vocabulary of words to write stories with – what an incredible creative gift!
“Moshoeshoe” is an Afrikaans play set in the 17th Century and centres around the King of the Basotho people. The play follows Moshoeshoe’s transformation from a troubled youth into a wise and noble King and is a beautiful story of forgiveness and redemption, written by Bibi Black of Constantia Waldorf School.
Ester Ruttmann, Afrikaans teacher