A memorable experience- Anitah AUJAYEB
A memorable experience – 2010
Anitah AUJAYEB - Gaetan Raynal SSS
I would like to share here a memorable experience I had in the last weeks in the heart of London, in the realm of English Literature, in the world of music, architecture and theatre, thanks to the English Speaking Union ( ESU), Mauritius branch and England.
It’s an incredible reality that many people inMauritius are somewhat unaware of the activities of the ESU, and my purpose today is to show the appropriateness of the motto of this institution which says “ Creating Global Understanding Through English”. The numerous activities organized by this institution, for students and teachers, bear testimony to its dedication towards the enrichment and enhancement of English in our country. At a critical time in the history of English language in our country where teachers struggle to teach the language to an indifferent crowd of students, such institutions which cater for its welfare are more than welcome. To achieve their aims they need people, genuine language lovers, more altruists, and more enthusiastic supporters.
As one of the numerous teachers of English in the secondary schools, I applied for the scholarship to attend the Shakespeare’s summer course at the Globe theatre in London and also at Shakespeare’s birth place, that is, Stratford upon Avon, through the ESU, Mauritius. And suddenly, I found myself at the Globe theatre, London, among frescos and designs all pertaining to the great Bard of English Literature. Walking along the River Thames, on the Millennium bridge, admiring the cruiser boats down, fi lled with merry making tourists, gazing at the aeroplanes up, hovering
in the grey sky of wet London, I could not help saying thanks to all those who in their own way were instrumental towards organizing this summer course with 30 delegates from 30 different countries. For we were all speaking English, though with different accents and abilities.
Global understanding was tangible. “ There is no darkness”, said Shakespeare, “ there is only ignorance” . With fantastic teachers and overenthusiastic friends from around the world, all members of the ESU of their respective countries, we moved on the pavements of theatres, of galleries, of libraries, of institutes, of cathedrals, of parks, of gardens, of squares, of towers, of bridges, wherever some relic of Shakespeare could be seen. And we moved from darkness towards light. We had shed ignorance far behind. Global understanding was created.
At the start of one lecture, a brilliant teacher like no other stated : “ I am not interested in how you move, I am interested in what moves you.” I wanted to say we moved with the ESU, but what moved us now was Shakespeare. Entering my mindset, the teacher said: “ A touch of Shakespeare makes the world Kin.” And in great kinship, cross cultural identities merged into great friendship and the world became smaller.
At the grand dinner held in honour of the 30 delegates from the 30 different countries, at the Dartmouth House, headquarters of the ESU, in Central London, we were just mesmerized as scenes of Romeo and Juliet were performed from the dinner tables in 30 different languages, our mother tongues. What a feast! What better global understanding could there be? All in all, with Shakespeare as a “ Word smith”, we learned “ to fi ll the chalice of life” , to make “ inner grace audible” , to play “ the instrument of the soul”, to speak “ the language of the heart” , to breathe “ through theatre and music” . Walking along the London bridge, the Millennium bridge and the Bankside alleys, I could only thank the ESU for their farsightedness and altruistic attitudes and activities to make the world a global village with recreational and educational aspects. Global understanding is surely achieved.
I am more than happy that I applied for this scholarship, and I made it happen all the way and hence have been instrumental in creating this global understanding through English. I pen these words here to thank the president and members of the ESU for having given me this opportunity to be part of this literary fair. I end here quoting Mother Teresa : “ There are no great acts, only small acts done with great love.
How the ESU changed my life – Danny Onsiong
How the ESU Changed my Life
Monday 09 May
There occur myriad undertakings in one’s life which one forgets the following week. Other episodes linger in one’s mind for a couple of months or so. Then, there remain those experiences which – hard as one tries – cannot be forgotten. To me, one such event is the ESU-Public-Speaking-Contest.
Actually, I cannot wipe out the competition from my memory for two reasons: first, I participated twice and, second, I never qualified for the finals! By now, you must be wondering who is writing this article. In fact, I first represented Bell Village SSS in 2008. The college was then a novice in such national competitions since it had newly been built. As such, I can still recall how reluctant I was to agree to the proposition of Miss Gheerdya Samputh – then Head of the English Department – to embark on such a lofty venture. I happened to be the youngest participant that year.
I was convinced that my second attempt in 2010 would be the successful one. Thus, I did not hesitate to embrace the opportunity Mr. Kevin Pather had offered to me. Although my time-table was already laden by my academic pursuit, I would not miss a once-in-a-lifetime occasion to represent the Royal College of Port Louis. My instinct proved wrong! Masculine intuition often fails, indeed. Nonetheless, at least I qualified for the semi-finals and my school mate – Zoubeir Joosub – proudly represented our esteemed school at the Finals.
The last two paragraphs may seem self-centred to many. Yet, they hold a universal truth: regardless the outcome of one’s endeavours, one demonstrates one’s maturity by humbly accepting the result. In fact, I admit that I was initially ashamed of my two successive shortcomings: never qualifying for the finals. In retrospect, I have no regrets though. Now, these words may sound like lame justifications; they are not. True, the genuine efforts I made were the best I could put in. No one can criticise such whole-hearted work.
In fact, I mustered enough courage to change one major thing: my negative attitude to my personal failings. In my mind, the ESU-Public-Speaking-Contest gradually emerged as a stepping stone! I focussed on the skills and qualities I had acquired on both attempts – self-confidence, maturity of thought, inter- and intra-personal aptitudes and many more. These attributes undeniably helped the Royal College Port Louis win the National Brainstrust Competition of the Rotary Club twice consecutively, in 2009 and 2010. Furthermore, they were tremendously useful to me as leader of our school winning-team at the Monetary Policy Challenge organised by the Bank of Mauritius.
Claiming that ESU-Public-Speaking-Contest solely assists in winning first prizes at other competitions would amount to an unforgivable injustice to the virtuous mission of the Contest. In truth, the past experience of the ESU-Public-Speaking-Contest comes in handy in other spheres of life too. As such, I have had the golden chance of shouldering the distinguished responsibility of Master of Ceremony in February, for the National Gala Show of the Spring Festival, and in March, on the National Day Celebrations at the Champ-de-Mars. Admittedly, I used a microphone on both occasions! Nevertheless, without first-hand experience at the ESU-Public-Speaking-Contest, I would never have been at ease on stage.
I sincerely hope that the unpretentious experience I have shared will make participants, supporters and readers contemplate the countless possibilities which stem from the ESU-Public-Speaking-Contest. Actually, my philosophy does not apply to the above-mentioned contest only. The English-Speaking Union (Mauritius) deserves heartfelt accolade and earnest support for being a catalyst of holistic development for the Mauritian youth. ‘Democratisation’ is a word very much in vogue these days. Together, let us hope that the life-changing opportunity given to a few lucky students will be extended to a greater number of Mauritian youngsters in the years to come.
Danny ONSIONG
Participant 2008, Semi-finalist 2010
Public Speaking Competition run by ESU-Mauritius
