Multicultural Storytelling for Literacy Empowerment (MUSTLE)

MUSTLE Africa aims to help children improve their literacy and communication skills in a fun way. Street youth and orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) are central to the programme. The key strategy is to use participatory workshops in order to:

• enable basic communication amongst all and rehabilitate disadvantaged children and young people with their own family or base community, regardless of religious/ethnic origin/belief;
• change public perception of street youth and advocate for their potential through the performance art medium;
• coordinate a varied programme of events and workshops on multicultural storytelling; and
• operate both in the formal and non-formal education sector and in collaboration with performance artists and stakeholders across the globe.

MUSTLE Africa services and activities include the following:

• counselling and mentoring services to street youth and OVCs;
• a range of remedial recreational activities, including drama, music, dance, games, and sports for psychosocial support;
• training in communication for life skills, capacity-building, and self-help;
• hosting an occasional conference or professional development/networking event for literacy and social work practitioner stakeholders from both within the region and internationally.

According to the organisers, the use of story is powerful. Ivor Kasongo, MUSTLE Africa coordinator, explains that traditional storytelling as a form of non-formal education has stood the test of time. "It is simply being overshadowed in the advent of modern technology. The two forms of media, if you will, need NOT be mutually exclusive. Let's be specific in our strategy to develop literacy skills with youth. The use of a traditional story really is accessible as a resource."

MUSTLE works in partnership with local organisations. In April 2006, MUSTLE forged a partnership programme with Streets Ahead, a project working with street children in Harare, Zimbabwe. Over nine days, a dramatisation of a Ghanaian Anansi story was directed and presented as part of the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA). According to the organisers, this was very popular amongst all sectors of the HIFA community - local and international. This first phase of the partnership was funded by the United Kingdom (UK)- based charity Street Child Africa. In December 2006, sponsored by the British Embassy, Harare, and again in collaboration with Streets Ahead, MUSTLE Africa planned and organised a 5-day Christmas outreach programme to Lake Kariba with 20 street youth.

In August 2008, the Zimbabwe based MUSTLE Africa Trust launched a publication called Street Home. It is intended for individuals and organisations working in the community development, education, and youth arts fields, and specifically those working with vulnerable children and young people living on the streets. This free quarterly newsletter aims to be a platform for organisations across the globe to share experiences and strategies and to network. The newsletter will also be a medium through which street youngsters can share their experiences and stories. Click here to access the newsletter online.

Youth.

MUSTLE was established by James Robinson, professional storyteller. He combined resources and ideas with Ivor Kasongo, a youth and social professional in Zimbabwe with a background in international youth work and global issues. He began his career in 1999 working with a volunteer exchange organisation called the Daneford Trust and later worked with street children at the Simukai Street Youth Programme in Zimbabwe. Together, James and Ivor started MUSTLE Africa in the summer of 2005. Ivor runs a fashion shop in Bulawayo to support new ventures for MUSTLE Africa, which was given a Trust status in July 2007 in Harare, Zimbabwe.