Exhibit A: Bucket skits

From videos into a triangular conversation of photographs, descriptions and impressions 5.5.1 2018

We are gathered in the school courtyard. The hall is being used by the choir (a last minute declaration by the principle) and the classrooms are crowded with desks and we need space for the skits.

Table 8: Play skits 2018

Description Researcher thoughts emerging

Skit 1

Five learners line up next to the bucket, two girls are kneeling, washing clothes and three boys are standing, washing their bodies. The girls walk away, turning their backs to hang up an imaginary item of clothing and one of the boys tosses the invisible water out of the bucket. The girls return, marching, arms folded: “What are you doing? Save the water,” they scold.

I observe a division. It is the boys who are the naughty ones but also the boys who are doing less chores. I am also aware of how their naughtiness was produced in relation to others and activities in the skit. The boy who tossed the bucket is ‘naughty’, but also a bit powerless against the fierce righteous position of the girls.

Skit 2

There is a very short moment when three learners are crouched over a bucket before they toss the water out of it. Two girls come up and begin to shout. The first: “You must clean the house, don’t do this”. The second shouts: “You must save the water” and repeated it, with more anger the second time. Then they begin to chase the three around the courtyard with great speed and excitement. Near the end of the skit, one of the ‘adults’ picked up the bucket herself and made the action of tossing the water out of it, onto the fleeing ‘child’.

This skit, while wildly dramatic and a bit alarming, has some contradictory moments.

The approach by the two girls, the ‘telling off’ is such that flight occurs and in the

‘fury’ the ‘adult’ does the action that they were telling the children off for.

Skit 3

The third skit begins with a large amount of time busying around water chores. Two learners are cleaning something that is head height: a taxi or windows? One is doing a stirring action and the other is washing clothes. At some point one tosses the water out of the bucket

The others stand back aghast and almost like they are giving up. The tosser goes to the tap and then tosses the water again.

A boy steps forward and says: “Hey! You waste my water, this is my house! “

The others laugh.

I’m wondering about the power in this skit, are they all trying to show how one person is in charge? Is this a skit where there is semi-enthusiastic participation? I’m struck by the phrase “this is my house”.

Skit 4

A boy is washing clothes while the others watch him. He turns around to hang up some clothes.

While his back is turned the water is tossed and the bucket returned to its place. The washer boy gets to the bucket and puts his hands in, pauses and looks up at the tosser. The tosser responds by putting her hands out like: ‘It wasn’t me’. The washer boy refills the bucket and continues to wash and hangs something up.

This next person washes some windows and then tosses the water out herself. There is no comment here.

The bucket is passed to the next person, who fills it up and then takes a drink of water as she is in the drinking pose the first washer boy approaches her and says “What are you doing? Save the water”.

Not too much notice is taken over this and the final learner claims her turn to use the water, she cooks pap, stirring the pot with her entire arm to indicate the strength needed for that particular activity.

This skit is a string of vignettes of water use.

The tossing of water reoccurs sometimes in a way that is comedic and sometimes in a

way that seems purely functional. It ends with what feels like the ultimate contradictory moment. When the third member actions out the drinking of water, as

basic human need and most likely consuming less than the other chores, she is

scolded. Things fall apart.

5.5.2 2019

We are in the area of the school where there is grass and trees. Again the hall is being used by the choir and we need space for the skits.

Table 9: Play skits 2019

Description Group reflections

Skit 1

At the start of the video the learners are very spread out. ‘Uya kamanzi umtwan’. A boy gets up to his feet and carries the bucket: “ok Tata”. He walks to the imaginary tap and makes the sound of flowing water with his mouth. He holds the bucket on his shoulder and walks in a way that shows the bucket is heavy towards a girl who is standing next to a short bush – an object she has engaged as her chore station. Two girls were standing at similar bushes alongside her.

The last half of the skit the three women doing chores take it in turns to demand something from the boy: first a bucket of water, next a piece of soap from the shop; the skit ended before he could serve the last girl.

Throughout the skit it is Siphamandla who moves around while the ‘tata’ sits on the ground and the three girls/women remain at their chores, one cooking, the others washing.

The way these learners made props out of what existed in the school grounds.

We reflected after the skit:

Ubona ntoni apha?

We see an action!

Which action?

Washing Cooking

Utenga istena sisep. That’s like a big bar of soap. And they were cutting.

Skit 2

Two very animated ‘men’ are in the foreground.

One is sitting down the other one sits down via a drunken stumble...“Daddy watching soccer and smoking”. There are two children running around throwing water at each other in the background:

abantwab bebedlala ngamanzi. The one tosses the imaginary water while the other reacts in mid run as if she has been doused in water. Eventually the men shout at the children and tell them to stop playing with water.

In our post skit reflections it is noted, usebenzisa amanzi nomongi/ they used water for a drink. Two educators are amazed at how animated a boy who hardly speaks is. One educator is surprised by how these children (playing the role of fathers) are aware that the playing of water will result in a cost of which they cannot be sure.

Skit 3

They start to talk to each other in a way that the audience cannot hear and we ask that they turn towards us.

“Mfazi – woman, fetch water. What do you want? I want you to wash my clothes.” [translated]

Two boys (father figures) watch soccer after asking

‘Godin’ (the young boy) to go and buy them

While the girl with the bucket is situated in front of the father figures, who gave her the instruction to fetch water and wash clothes, they (father figures) are the ones chatting and talking while the washer is silent. It feels like the task is

cigarettes. The woman (girl) sits with the bucket, in front of the seated father figure (boy) and washes the clothes. The father figure makes some

comments about the soccer on the invisible television.

backgrounded despite being in the foreground.

Skit 4

Umtwana (the child) in this story was playing with a stone. She was quite quiet but working artfully at her stone throwing tricks, trying to flip her hand around over while the stone is in the air.

The tata figure who is sitting down, much like those who came before him ... is asking for the boy to buy something from the shops and the women

That a male figure who calls the shots in the house is unable to understand a drink may be too hot for him, makes me wonder what these children are

communicating here.

Yes: ewe.

She asks how many sugars. He says two. She hands him the drink. He takes a long sip and then spits it out! “It’s too hot!” He puts his arm out towards her and demands: “Put some more cold water in it”. She does this and he takes another sip, he is satisfied this time.