What we do

Our students are women serving prison sentences in Langata for a variety of offences. Some of our students have sentences ranging from a few years to Life, with some serving on the Condemned ward and some from Remand section. Our students range in age, nationality, background, and level of education. As well as Kenyan students, we have students from China, South America, South Africa and Tanzania.

 We do not judge our students or dwell on their crimes. We work together to cultivate and support their creativity, musicality and learning.

 Creative writing normally starts with a writing prompt, followed by individual writing. We then read the work aloud in a circle and offer feedback. The exercise often leads to a discussion about the topic. If we have time, we will either give individual feedback on student's other work or if there is time, start another writing exercise. We often read extracts of poetry or novels to illustrate the curriculum we cover.

 We work closely with the Prison Authorities to ensure that our work is aligned with prison rules and objectives.

 Our music class has taken ABRSM Music Grade 1 and regularly performs at prison functions.

 Our twice a week class is known as 'Book Club' and we teach Creative Writing, Music, French and Art.

 The teachers of Book Club are Peter (Founder); Tilda (Creative Writing); Eric (Music); Elijah (Music); French (Thomas).
'Tuesday's and Thursday's are the best days of our week. I always look forward to Book Club. It really lifts us up. It is the only time we feel free.'
A.C. Inmate

        Peter teaching in class

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Not What You Think: 28th January 2020

Image
Obviously, for anyone spending time in prison, judgement has had a huge impact on their lives. However, quite apart from legal judgements, most people live looking through an almost invisible prism of moment to moment judgements. 'It's Not What You Think' was the theme of our writing exercise in class today. Students wrote in any form about a memory, or a story or poem which explored the theme. DB wrote a pair of tender poems which look at the two sides of judgement. One looked at the outer value judgements, and the voice of other poem is aware of the illusion judgement and moves beyond to compassion. JK wrote a wonderful story based in rural Kenya about an outbreak of typhoid. Joy, in quarantine, distrusts one medical workers seeming interest in her, and wonders what her motives are. When she drops her suspicion and fear, she discovers an opportunity she had never imagined. One of our new students, CNG, wrote about the dangers of instant physical attraction.
Read more

Moi's Milk: 4th February 2020

Image
Today, the former President of Kenya, Daniel arap Moi died. He has been a prominent feature of Kenyan life for many decades and how we feel about him, his era and legacy are not simple but multi-layered. Today in class we discussed this. We talked about memories, experiences, and impressions of a man who has had a profound influence on Kenya since Independence to the present day. Some remembered ‘maziwa ya Nyayo’ or Moi’s Milk; the name for the twice a week delivery of free milk to all children in schools across Kenya. For children mostly too young to understand the complex nuances of political life, children appreciated the milk and took it as a sign that their President cared for them. This feeling largely endured despite the darker periods of President Moi’s rule. His benevolence to children is remembered above all else. Nearly everyone wrote quite factual pieces today; unusual in our increasingly creatively confident class. One student, QXT, a Chinese nationa
Read more

In a Bar in Iceland: 21st Jan 2020

Image
In our class today, we did something different. Instead of the students writing individually from a prompt, we worked on a group exercise.  We imagined a place – a bar in a busy town in Iceland; a country none of us has ever been. We spent time on the details of the bar; décor but also its smell and feel. Everyone was given a different character with a few details. We then wrote individually from each point of view about why they were in the bar the night of the shooting. The group read each of their pieces out loud and amongst the laughter, it was clear that the collective piece impressed us all with its breadth and richness. Here is a composite of what the group wrote: Einar Our winter in Iceland was long this year. It is already March and the weather is still cold. It snowed the whole day today. I am alone at the bar. It is 10pm and already full. It’s always full but tonight is Ladies Night – which means free wine. But I don’t want wine. Last time I sat here I
Read more