Make toast and paint with palette knives

In the name of Allah, the most gracious, the all-forgiving.

Amidst the hubbub at the IPSA campus this morning – we made our way to an alternative venue to continue lectures on Wicked Problems in the world.  First year Bachelor students were preparing for tomorrow’s seminar on the four Imams; practicing their presentations; organising seats and decorating the cafeteria where the public will have snacks and beverages. The air was filled with delicious excitement!

 Last week we were introduced to systems thinking, watching an awesome Tedex presentation by Tom Wujec – How to make toast. For the next few weeks we are learning to research and develop our strategic plans to initiate an activity from a localised context to impact on a Wicked problem in the world. Some of us will be addressing the issue of the risk of plastic leaching into our food and research future education and paperless schooling. Others are looking at social issues such as the deconstruction of the family. While a pair or two are looking at economic and environmental issues such as planting for food shortages for the future. And many more different topic choices. This is so exciting for us as this module is done in real class time and a doggie bag of homework.

This week we learnt about communities of practice; doing stakeholder analyses and developing SMARTER objectives. The last hour of the course is dedicated to our stewardship faction and this week our faction (The Bloggers) gate-crashed the Creative Art faction (CAF) at work painting using bamboo pens as well as painting using a palette knife. Here’s uncle Abu in action illustrating. Looks easy right?

The rest of the CAFs were painting their backgrounds – harmonious hues exploding on their canvasses. At first we just walked around observing and soaking in the energy and buzz of this class. Then some of us ventured in. Got some paper, pencils, tried to look arty. We failed miserably and knew at that moment that we were not destined for doing great things with inks, paints and canvas.

 

 

Some of us opted to watch some doccies and vimeos to inspire our projects – The Human Planet and a beautiful vimeo called Indonesia Land and Sea by yesisurf. Last week we also enjoyed watching Bunker Roy’s  Learning from the Barefoot Movement. Some of us escaped the cleaning up and made our way home while the rest rinsed out water tins and packed paints and paraphernalia into a huge artbox.

Next week sadly no Global Leadership and Life Orientation (GLO) for us because it is Eidul Adha and so our homes will be turned out while hujjaaj are representing us all on Arafaat, while at campus/home we will be fasting and reciting. Many of us are preparing, buying sheep to Qurbaan.

We wish hujjaaj a wonderful journey when they embark to leave for Mina, spend the day on the plains of Arafaat and go and pelt the Jamaraat. To all the Muslimeen all over the world have a joyous Eidul Adha!

Verily in the heart of the true believer is where Allah resides.

ps. A huge shukran for pics from Yaseen, Irshaad, Ghalib and Saa-rah.