Survival Instinct

You could spot the bullying walk a mile away. Mohammad was pushing and tugging at other boys all morning. In the afternoon adult Mohammad, one of the Aroub facilitators led a game of musical islands: The youth walk around until the drum beat stops. When it does everyone must stand on the large sheets of paper laid on the floor. Sheets are taken away as the game moves on, meaning less spaces are available on which to stand. During the game, young Mohammad’s skulking gait turned to a rhythmic jaunt as he led the group in clapping to the beat. When the drum stopped, his formerly aggressive exchanges with other boys were swapped for clinging grasps to maintain balance on the progressively smaller islands. The other children, who had been shy in the morning’s warm-up also forgot their physical boundaries, as they got swept up by their instinct to stay on the paper and in the game.

Through their camera lenses, the kids in Voices Beyond Walls are encountering the world and transforming their perspective, but it’s in the teamwork and play involved in making digital stories that they encounter each other and transform their relationships.