Thanks to the NAC’s funding in the past years ARROWSA facilitators and participants from economically and socially challenged backgrounds were empowered personally and communally through knowledge and skills transference by performing applied theatre devised productions in Derry, Northern Ireland; Plymouth, United Kingdom and Lucknow, India and attending intercultural exchange youth congresses in the same cities. These devised productions and the theatre skills learnt at the congresses were then shared with ARROWSA participants in Durban that could not attend the congresses and with schools in the inner city.

The NAC has also made it possible for several applied theatre specialists from the United Kingdom to conduct theatre for social change, physical theatre, and dance workshops with ARROWSA participants in Durban. The pay-it-forward aspect of the NAC funding ensured that the work that they funded continued within the community after the project ended and continues today. The work of ARROWSA towards promoting arts, culture, and heritage for peace through intercultural exchange and the acquisition of skills has been greatly enhanced due to funding from the NAC. May the National Arts Council’s work continue for 20 times 20 years as they continue to back the arts towards transformation in our country!