FOR KRYSTAL SOR
This ritual takes place from morning until late evening, in the time frame of one day. Its intention is to help participants see and understand fully the current and lasting situation Africa has found itself existing in everyday.
It is intended to encourage new beginnings and awareness and find strength to support Africa for new ways.
The ritual will act as a type of festival, to create a mood that allows everyone to feel friendly and welcoming towards each other. The morning will begin with anti-structure, as a parade goes down the street performing for onlookers. Then as the morning goes on, the structured ritual will begin in a large park, central to the activities beyond. Everyone will enter into the structured ritual by gathering and seating themselves at an allocated time.
The beginning of the gathering will establish to everyone who the powerbrokers are, as they will welcome everyone, lay out what is ahead and talk about the purpose of the day. There will then be a prayer, to allow everyone to enter into the liminality of the ritual. Next, there will be stories, facts and speeches on the history of Africa’s situation in poverty and famine. Guest speakers from Africa will speak about their personal stories also. This will catch people’s attention as they feel for the people that have been in these situations of poverty and famine.
After this, some poems will be presented for everyone, even some short poems written by African children. Everyone will then watch as some people take part in the symbolic part of the ritual. A large chessboard will be set up so that sixteen people will represent the higher pieces of the board, and pawns will be set out in the next row with symbolic and positive words on them. Each person, one by one, will then place the pawn in front of them on top of some of the negative words on the image of Africa placed in the middle of the board. A person running the ritual will inform the crowd of the symbolic meaning of these actions.
After the meaning of the chessboard has been pointed out, participants will listen to a closing statement and then a prayer. The prayer will be for Africans and involve the fact that food and money, things that we sometimes take for granted, must not be seen that way anymore. By this time it will be when most people will get lunch, and the food canteens will be supportive of Africans, and the money will go to charities, so that Africans can have food as well.
At the end of the ritual, as everything is over and people start to separate, support bags will be handed out at the sides of the seats for people leaving. These support bags will contain brochures and such about Africa.
At this point, participants will have entered back into the anti-structure of the day. For the people that remain in the at the festival until the night, there will be donations and fundraisers happening around the place, and stalls that will be selling merchandise, such as wristbands or homemade items, will be giving the money to charities.
The Symbol
The game of chess has many symbolic messages. Some of which are less obvious than others. The chessboard itself represents the world, a structured society and yet chaotic at the same time, like races living together, but separately at the same time. The chess pieces symbolise different countries and parts of our society, with no clearly stated higher rank, but some more respected or elite, derived from their power. The pawns represent the people from these countries, all with the same level of power and respect, being equal no matter where they are from. In the middle of the chessboard is an outline of Africa. Throughout the country there are black circles with negative words written in them eg: war, unstable, debt, dispute and destruction. And on the top circle of the pawns that are the reverse positive words eg: protection, refuge, history and safety. There are 16 pawns and 16 words on Africa. The aim of this part of our ritual is to emblematically fix the problems in Africa by taking parts of more endowed countries and contributing it to Africa, in hope to better the lives of African civilians. Each chess piece has a history and it own meaning to it. The words on each pawn relate back to their meaning. The Knight represents the professional solider of medieval times and protected people in higher ranks. The Castle represents the home or refuge. The bishop represents the church, money and power. The queen represents the feminine and culture. The king represents the kingdom and society. And so the words on each pawn and the words on Africa relate to these meanings.
It is intended to encourage new beginnings and awareness and find strength to support Africa for new ways.
The ritual will act as a type of festival, to create a mood that allows everyone to feel friendly and welcoming towards each other. The morning will begin with anti-structure, as a parade goes down the street performing for onlookers. Then as the morning goes on, the structured ritual will begin in a large park, central to the activities beyond. Everyone will enter into the structured ritual by gathering and seating themselves at an allocated time.
The beginning of the gathering will establish to everyone who the powerbrokers are, as they will welcome everyone, lay out what is ahead and talk about the purpose of the day. There will then be a prayer, to allow everyone to enter into the liminality of the ritual. Next, there will be stories, facts and speeches on the history of Africa’s situation in poverty and famine. Guest speakers from Africa will speak about their personal stories also. This will catch people’s attention as they feel for the people that have been in these situations of poverty and famine.
After this, some poems will be presented for everyone, even some short poems written by African children. Everyone will then watch as some people take part in the symbolic part of the ritual. A large chessboard will be set up so that sixteen people will represent the higher pieces of the board, and pawns will be set out in the next row with symbolic and positive words on them. Each person, one by one, will then place the pawn in front of them on top of some of the negative words on the image of Africa placed in the middle of the board. A person running the ritual will inform the crowd of the symbolic meaning of these actions.
After the meaning of the chessboard has been pointed out, participants will listen to a closing statement and then a prayer. The prayer will be for Africans and involve the fact that food and money, things that we sometimes take for granted, must not be seen that way anymore. By this time it will be when most people will get lunch, and the food canteens will be supportive of Africans, and the money will go to charities, so that Africans can have food as well.
At the end of the ritual, as everything is over and people start to separate, support bags will be handed out at the sides of the seats for people leaving. These support bags will contain brochures and such about Africa.
At this point, participants will have entered back into the anti-structure of the day. For the people that remain in the at the festival until the night, there will be donations and fundraisers happening around the place, and stalls that will be selling merchandise, such as wristbands or homemade items, will be giving the money to charities.
The Symbol
The game of chess has many symbolic messages. Some of which are less obvious than others. The chessboard itself represents the world, a structured society and yet chaotic at the same time, like races living together, but separately at the same time. The chess pieces symbolise different countries and parts of our society, with no clearly stated higher rank, but some more respected or elite, derived from their power. The pawns represent the people from these countries, all with the same level of power and respect, being equal no matter where they are from. In the middle of the chessboard is an outline of Africa. Throughout the country there are black circles with negative words written in them eg: war, unstable, debt, dispute and destruction. And on the top circle of the pawns that are the reverse positive words eg: protection, refuge, history and safety. There are 16 pawns and 16 words on Africa. The aim of this part of our ritual is to emblematically fix the problems in Africa by taking parts of more endowed countries and contributing it to Africa, in hope to better the lives of African civilians. Each chess piece has a history and it own meaning to it. The words on each pawn relate back to their meaning. The Knight represents the professional solider of medieval times and protected people in higher ranks. The Castle represents the home or refuge. The bishop represents the church, money and power. The queen represents the feminine and culture. The king represents the kingdom and society. And so the words on each pawn and the words on Africa relate to these meanings.