EWL participant Amina Booley's Speech to her school about her experiences at the Ethical Leadership Workshop

Student's Still Images on 'South African Leadership Today'

Students’ views on Leadership:

‘I would act as a leader in my own life by first bringing change in my life like doing self-introspection. To change what's bad to good and what's good to much more best and I can also be a leader by making sure that I bring change and keep my promises because leaders with empty promises mislead the world.’

‘This week has helped me get to know to tackle the problems arising in my leadership process.  What makes an ethical leader and how you lead, personally, locally, nationally and internationally.’

‘What I could contribute to South Africa's future is the level of education, the importance of clean environment and the importance of being an ethical leader.’

‘Someone who sees all as equal, and has a good moral compass. By taking initiative and responsibility, as well as being ambitious and inspiring to those around me.’

‘By being strong, but also open-minded and listening to the opinions of others.’

‘By being able to empower others, as well as educate them and be able to make an important decision (based on consideration of all involved).’

‘I have learnt that I am someone who prefers to lead from behind, but also make sure that my view point and opinion is heard. I learnt that leadership is not only about the person leading, but also about those that are being led.’

Student Feedback on the Ethical Leadership Workshop:

‘I learnt a lot about myself and about ethical leadership, and what it means to lead ethically.’
‘I have an entirely new and different perspective on Shakespeare’s works (for the better), and am very grateful that I got the opportunity to look at and learn about his work with such insight.’

‘My fellow grade elevens who attended this workshop with me are some of the greatest students I have ever met, and I look forward to seeing how each and every one of us contribute to making the world a better place by being ethical leaders.’

‘I liked how we got an opportunity to write and discuss our opinions (which were actually listened to and appreciated).’

‘I finished the week knowing that I can be a greater leader and had acquired more and strengthened my leadership skills.’

‘The week went very well; it was very exciting. I would like to rate the workshop 10 of 10.  Even the food was good!’

The Robben Island Shakespeare's Ethical Leadership Workshop, Wynberg Boys High School, Cape Town South Africa 3 to 7 October

The Robben Island Bible Ethical Leadership Workshop

Playwright and drama facilitator Matthew Hahn was invited by the Shakespeare in Schools Festival South Africa and supported by the British Council to facilitate a five day interactive theatre workshop for young people that examines current leadership on a personal, community, national and international level.

A group of 11 Grade 11 students were selected for their potential for creative and principled leadership. The students came from a variety of backgrounds, with the Chris Hani Arts and Culture School in Khayelitsha township, Islamia College and Wynberg Boys High being among the schools represented. 

This new generation of young leaders spent a week of their school holidays learning lessons from the experiences of political prisoners on Robben Island and a variety of Shakespeare’s characters.

The workshop culminated in a performance of selected Shakespearean quotes, extracts from the play, The Robben Island Bible including monologues based on interviews with former political prisoners on Robben Island and new pieces of writing created by the young people.

I am currently compiling feedback as well as creating a booklet of the newly created pieces of creative writing to be published on this blog in the near future.

For more information about this or future workshops, please visit here.

Student Principles [created by the Ethical Leadership participants 6 October 2016]

New Stage Idioms: South African Drama, Theatre and Performance in the Twenty-first Century, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Belgium, May 11-13, 2017.

My research paper, “The Research, Development and Production History of The Robben Island Shakespeare,” has been accepted for presentation at the Université Libre de Bruxelles’s international conference, New Stage Idioms: South African Drama, Theatre and Performance in the Twenty-first Century in May 2017.