Inspiration Africa! Sandhurst Junior School

INSPIRATION AFRICA!
Project 2
Sandhurst Junior School
Story-telling and drama

The features of the Mende mask symbolise many things including ideals of beauty, virtue, wisdom and success. The mask is a projection of what the young girls hope to become and achieve in their society (follow this link to read more about the mask). Year 5 used drama and story-telling to act out different projections and started with word sculptures in the hall. These poses of happinness, old age and power would also inform their poems, drawings and project artwork.

Story- telling and drama was used each day of the project to focus pupils and to return to their theme. Here the pupils dressed up and enacted their final story 'A man amongst men'. The page with images features sound clips from the story as follows:

Once upon a time, time time. Once upon a time, time time. There was once a young man who was very, very strong. Every day he would come to the edge of the forest, he would pick up a tree and say "I am a man amongst men". His wife, who heard him every single day, stood up and she said to him "why are you always showing off?"

One day a mother and her daughter came along. The mother said "Can I help you?" "Yes, can you help me" said the wife of a man amongst men.

"Oh I can't but my daughter can." She pulled it up as if it was a .... feather.

The mother and daughter introduced themselves to the wife of a man amongst men:

"I am the wife of a man amongst men and this is the daughter" said the mother.

"I can't believe it! I am the wife of a man amongst men! Wait until my husband hears"

That night she told her husband - "I met the wife of a man amongst men and her daughter, she was very strong". He said "I don't believe it, I've got to meet these people"

Just at that moment, there was a big sound, that sounded like a thousand elephants .....

..... like a thousand trees had been felled .....

Suddenly out of the distance ......

..... the biggest giant you have ever seen .....