Inmates take to the stage
Programme aims to prevent prisoners from re-offending
THEATRE is being used as a rehabilitation tool at Pollsmoor Prison, teaching inmates skills to prevent them landing up behind bars – again. Norwegian actor Eirik Skarsboe is part of the Help! I am Free project, a two year programme, working with inmates during their last year of incarceration and for a year following their release.
He said that going back into the community could be tough, especially the first six months to a year. “We try to be there for them to help with basic stuff like getting IDs and applying for jobs.”
They also have a social worker who liaises with the South African National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration of Offenders (Nicro).
Although the programme uses theatre, Skarsboe says it’s not about training people to become actors, but rather equipping them with tools to prevent them from returning to prison. About 80 percent of inmates in prisons are believed to be repeat offenders.
Skarsboe said the rehabilitation programme, which has been running at Pollsmoor Prison for three years, but which originated at the Varde Theatre in Norway a decade ago, had shown tremendous success.
“In Norway more than 90 percent of prisoners don’t land up going back to prison.”
Skarsboe acknowledges that circumstances in South Africa are different.
“Some people come from nothing and will go back to nothing which is why we are working hard to get them into programmes like this.”
He said coming from Norway, where all inmates had single cells, to Pollsmoor had been somewhat of a culture shock.
There had also been a recent “rat infestation” scare where the deaths of two inmates from leptospirosis, an infectious disease carried in rat urine, prompted a mass evacuation of inmates to other prisons.
“It is hard to see 80 people packed into a cell and hear their stories.”
But he said overall it had been an extremely rewarding experience. “I think I’ve learnt more from the inmates than they from me.”
He said people often questioned why theatre was used. “But being on stage gives self-confidence and they also learn the skills of working within a group. For a lot of them it’s the first time they can show friends and family something they are proud of.”
He said the show that had been developed was about everyday life in prison.
“It is a lot of small stories – what it’s like to fall in love, to be the new person coming in, to miss your family, what your dreams are – issues similar to those of people on the outside.”
One of the participants is Nevillene Daniels from Glenhaven in Bellville who, after dropping out of UWC, became involved in housebreaking and theft for which she received a three-year sentence.
The mother of three, now 30, said taking part in the programme had given her a boost and made her feel she could do something with her life. “For a long time I’ve been disappointed in myself for throwing away opportunities but I’m confident I’m moving in the right direction.”
She added that the programme was “awesome” and had taught her a lot.
Igshaan May, 29, from Athlone, will be going home next month after serving nine years and eight months for attempted murder.
The former 26s gang member has been “bitten by the acting bug” and would like to pursue it as a career. “I was always very shy and couldn’t talk to people, even in prison. But this has given me confidence.”
Project director Sarah Kaurin Jonassen said the Norwegian government sponsored the programme through FK Norway (formerly the Peace Corps).
She said that within six years it would be taken over by South Africans and they were already collaborating with UCT’s department of drama and the Nyanga Art Centre.
The performance takes place at Artscape on October 2 at 4pm.
BEING ON STAGE GIVES SELF-CONFIDENCE AND THEY ALSO LEARN THE SKILLS OF WORKING WITHIN A GROUP