Arts Performance Centre Tsumeb Interview with Lis Hidber

The Tsumeb Arts Performance Centre, better known by its acronym ‘APC’, is a nonprofit organization which operates independently from government and depends mostly on donations to keep the center going. APC offers visual-arts, drama, dance, crafts, musical instruments and language lessons to children, teenagers and adults, especially those who are unemployed and come from less fortunate backgrounds. The centre has a staff complement of 30 teachers and 10 additional aiding staff, which caters for up to a total of 300 after school students, daily.

APC Tsumeb was established in 2003 and built on municipality premises. It is the biggest centre with 17 huts for different type of music, instrument repair workshop and a gallery with visual art products on display. The APC in Tsumeb is the (4th) third center of its kind built in Namibia so far by the project initiators, Miss Lis Hidber together with Mr. Hans Leu, who is now late. Initially, there were four centers before the Otjiwarongo centre turned state. There was also a centre at Omagalanga, which is situated between Oshikuku and the Angola border. Unfortunately the land belonged to the school and eventually they took it over as well, however, only dancing and clarinet is still taught there. As of today, we are only left with two centres, namely Tsumeb and Oshikuku, which are still run under the APC umbrella and guidelines.

The classrooms take the form of colorful rondavels, each dedicated to a group of instruments, and it is there that the children of Tsumeb are fortunate to learn and practice art forms that would otherwise be unheard of to them. APC education helps students stay in school, increases motivation, improves attitudes and attendance and improves academic performance. Apart from musical ability, these lessons also create a sense of purpose for these children and open up avenues for employment and skills development.

Even though APC is visited by students from different social backgrounds, most of them face poverty and unemployment. The APC thus offers new perspectives and opportunities to learn, improve and better the students’ lives and those who acquire a certain skill level have the chance to get employed as a teacher/instructor and pass on their knowledge to other prospective students. Formal and state employment opportunities in bands also arise, as many have been employed by the Namibian Navy, Police and Defense Force. Some graduates were able to earn their living as professional musicians, artists and performers, while a few have managed to open up smaller music schools in their respective areas.

In addition to the musical teaching, it has been proven that people involved in performing arts are able to engage the mind, emotions, and body in ways that allow them to properly flow through real-life situations with empathy, understanding, emotional intelligence, and confidence, as well as to communicate with their varying counterparts.

Town: Tsumeb
Physical Address: 2nd Road Tsumeb / Elverum -Street
Contact Details: 067 220 511 (phone); 081 258 2820 (mobile)
Email: apctsumeb@gmail.com/ artslis@mweb.com.na
P.O. Box 233; Tsumeb; NAMIBIA

Blog: www.apcnambia-lis.ch
Website: www.apcnamibia.com
Banking Details for Donations

Namibian Account Details: Switzerland Account Details:
Account Name:APC – Tsumeb Account Name: Lis Hidber/APC Nam
Bank Name: Standard Bank Bank Name: Raiffeisenbank CH
Account Number: 041624157 Account Number: 38580 0060 6
Branch: Tsumeb Town Code: 8887. Mels SG Switzerland
Branch Code: 847-734 IBAN: CH59 8080 8003 8580 0060 6
Swift Code: SBNMNANX Namibia

Видео Arts Performance Centre Tsumeb Interview with Lis Hidber канала Ella Nghifindaka