Cape Town - Drumlining or drumming has served as an outlet for young boys from Hillview in Lavender Hill instead of getting involved in destructive behaviours in the community.
The group of boys between the ages of 6-16 received a GNT CAFDA Community Spirit Award on Saturday.
The chief executive at Guardians of the National Treasure (GNT) organisation, Ralph Bouwers, said that there were a few young kids with drumlining skills and they managed to bring them together to form a group.
“The area of Hillview is very volatile due to random gunshots being fired, and the young children automatically find themselves coming to the drumline group. There are still boys waiting to enrol, however we don’t have the facility yet and only have four drums for them to share.
“The Hillview drumline group has allowed the youth to get to know each other better and it allows them to acknowledge that they are a part of a group that is valued in society,” he said.
The regional chairperson of the Lions Club International organisation, Charlotte Jubelin, said: “The drumline group was formed largely to help keep the kids away from gangsterism. Young boys from the age of 6 are offered a cellphone or money to perform certain jobs for gangsters.
“Once they fall into the wrong crowd then it becomes difficult to get them out,” Jubelin said. She added that the boys participating in the drumline could easily have chosen to stand on street corners, however they committed themselves to learning how to drum.
It had also taught them discipline and how to respect one another in the group. “Three of the eldest boys in the group are passing on their skills to
the younger generation, and they come out to train the kids once a week,” she said.
Bouwers said the Community Spirit Award reflected the goals and aspirations of the youth in the area and reminded them that there were elders in the community who were willing to advise and support them.
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