TripL'EX team goes toYalaa

Here we are. Sami, Cas, Ben, Diana, Mike en Joseph are busy working in Yala, while Wouter, Rick en Nelliene are filming it all. We are working hard for three weeks to make a success of the Kenyan part of TripL'EX and to make a beautiful (wonderful? fantastic?) production. Thanks to the financial support of many individuals, NCDO, the Huibert van Saane Foundation, Oxfam Novib and the Maagdenhuis Foundation we can really make something of it. We will try to keep a record of our experiences and post pictures on a weblog (www.cre8-triplex.blogspot.com) but you can also find background information about this project and the Okang'Machielo project (2006) on our newly revised website.

New website

In the last three years, Cre8 has grown from a small initiative involving a few people into an organisation that is increasingly in the picture as far as international cultural exchange between the Netherlands and Kenya is concerned. That calls for a means of communication that can de quickly updated and where many different people can find different kinds of information. One of our aims is to create a broad base of support for cultural exchange between the Netherlands and Kenya.
With these goals in mind, our website www.cre8eastafrica.org has been recently redesigned. The new website makes it easy to add new information, is colourful, provides a lot of visual material such as photographs and films and includes links which provide background information for every possible group of readers. At the moment this website is in Dutch only, but will soon be translated into English. We will also be introducing an intranet which will serve as a virtual meeting place for our Dutch and Kenyan teams.

Collaboration with Koperen Kees

A 'koperen kees' is a copper coin that is hammered into the wooden floor of a stage to indicate where the centre is. The Koperen Kees Theatre School (www.koperenkees.nl) is our partner in Poeldijk where two groups of young people are making a theatre production and just like the group in Yala, the theme they are working on is: 'What is your dream for the future?'. During the project, which will continue on till (through?) the summer of 2008, the young people in Poeldijk and Yala will exchange ideas and send material for each other's productions through video messages. The group in Poeldijk have their own weblog: www.koperenkees.blogspot.com.

Cre8 Day on November 11

The Cre8 Day on November 11 was primarily meant for Cre8 personnel. There are three groups active within the organisation: the project group, the education group and the communications group. New team members often meet their colleagues for the first time on these days. There a was a theatre workshop and a discussion on the (lack of) opportunities for small scale cultural exchange programmes and the way in which Cre8 goes about organising them. The day ended with a presentation by Phlip Enkadyo with whom we are considering setting up the third Cre8 project in the village where he was born, Samburu in Northern Kenya.

Sponsor campaign

The sponsor campaign has so far brought in a little more than € 5000. That's an enormous amount and we are very grateful. Thanks to all the generous donors and to those who have spread the word by forwarding the e-mail about this project to their family, friends and acquaintances. We still need another € 2000 but with a little bit of luck we will manage to raise this amount as well. It would be very helpful if you could send this newsletter, along with a personal message, on to your network of contacts.
A gift of € 50 makes it possible for a young person in Yala to take part in this programme. Not only will he/she have the chance to perform in a wonderful production but a window will be opened revealing a glimpse of the world. And this in a place where taking a bus to the big city is an expense beyond their means.

Ben Hekkema, projectcoördinator