With school back in session after another lockdown, what was missed, what's there to expect and is “Donda” better than Drake’s new album?
The Eagle
SPORTS ARE BACK BABY! It’s been a while, a very long one for that matter. But we finally restarted our sports programme — and boy it was such a refreshing moment! To be able to just take a breather from class activities was amazing in itself, it kind of felt like normal times gain. I caught up with our very own head boy, Edmos Dube-Mabeza (who we all know is quite sporty himself). He was happy with the government’s decision to resume sport, saying, “I think it was a good initiative taken by the government to allow sports to resume, so that people may get back into shape and maintain good health.” Our sports director (and also Co-Vice Principal), Mrs Deysel, was delighted that sports had been given the green light, but she emphasises that Covid measures still be observed: “I am very pleased we’re back at school and that we have permission to play sport. I know that sport is something which many people love and it’s been a place of great frustration not being able to do the activities we enjoy doing. I am aware, however, that we have to do everything safely, because safety is very important.” We all welcome the return of sports with big smiles. In what was looking to be a dark year, it seems as if there really is a light at the end of the tunnel. - Tawananyasha Musingarabwi
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MIDYEARS!!
WERE ONLINE EXAMS EVEN WORTH IT? Not to mention the blank assignments with no attachments, teachers telling you your work isn't showing up and the pressure of having to do all this with your camera on.
Are online exams even worth it? “ My online experience hasn’t been so bad...I prefer physical school.” “I've tried my best to adapt to the new normal.” “Online learning gave me social anxiety” “I was cheating…” “ I have no motivation…” “ Online school robbed us of the joys of learning.” “ I’m not in control of my learning” “ I am grateful for education” “ I hate school in general” “ I’m tired” “ Ah did we even learn this” The Midlands Christian College online examinations officially began on the 16th of August and with all students in full gear, there was stress and panic all around. Due to the coronavirus, we couldn't even write exams at school! The pressure of online learning is a lot more intense, considering how much internet difficulties can slow you down, temptations can overwhelm you, and it’s just so stressful wondering whether or not all your work will disappear after 2 hours of hard work.
“DOES EVERYONE REALLY HAVE TO SEE ME WHILST I STRUGGLE TO REMEMBER THE FUNCTION OF MITOCHONDRIA?”
Oh but the joys! Of not being in a room full of people. Not wondering who can see my legs shaking whilst holding my pen still above my blank paper... In a study of the effects of online testing on student exam performance, Jeffrey. R. Stowell and Dan Bennett concluded that “ students who normally experience high levels of test anxiety in the classroom had reduced test anxiety when taking online exams.” But exams, in general, can pose many health risks for students, regardless of the platform they are using. Large amounts of stress and pressure can lead to fatigue, different mental illnesses and conditions like depression, anxiety, insomnia and even suicidal thoughts. Not to mention the worsening of already existing mental and health conditions. Exams are overrated!! They merely test the level of knowledge and ability to retain information, yet the people who get C’s and D’s may often end up being more successful in life, compared to the high achievers who
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they learnt with. Exams do not prepare you for real life either, honestly, I don't see myself using all these formulas and stuff in the real world. Considering all the negative effects on student’s well-being and just how much they may not even be of much use in the future, it may be baffling just why many schools across the world put us through so much.
”WELL...THEN WHY ARE WE DOING THEM?” IS IT FOR NOTHING?
”Online learning depend[ed] on you as a student...it depend[ed] on how you deal with the challenges you face.” - Moreblessing Banda
No! Now don't get me wrong, I certainly would not want to spend the rest of my life writing exams. But your attitude towards exams and the way you tackle them can lead to you benefit more than you could have expected. Online examinations allowed us to track our academic progress during this pandemic and build up personal integrity. Although the situation we are currently in is not ideal, the school has made great efforts to help us progress in our education. However it is for you to decide, were online exams even worth it? “Online learning depend[ed] on you as a student...it depend[ed] on how you deal with the challenges you face.”(Moreblessing Banda). It's up to you. “I failed...” “But I won’t stop trying.” - Thembinkosi Mkhosana.
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DONDA AND CLB DROP
The COVID-19 Lockdowns, besides being known for all their negatives, gave the music industry some wins. With music dropping from Kanye and Drake, to some underground unknown names on the come up like ‘4R’ (#shamelessplug). Clearly the Lockdown was the start of something beautiful in terms of big names, Kanye West., finally released his tenth studio album “Donda” on August 29 2021. One word to describe this project? E-X-C-E-P-T-I-O-N-A-L! From the slow, droopy songs like “moon”. To the soul of “pure souls”. Donda was the perfection of all the music aspects in one. Overall? A 9/10. Meanwhile in Toronto, Canada. Drake dropped “Certified Lover Boy”. His sixth studio album. Which definitely was one to remember. Showing the Canadian-born rapper’s versatility and intricacy. While also giving us insight into the life of the famous “lover boy”. Overall I’d give it a 7/10, unfortunately, and this is because of its repetitive nature in all the songs and its lack of versatility. Really, for me DONDA one-ups CLB. And I know it’s controversial. The Shameless Plug In terms of underground music: Names on the come up like “MUMB4RR” released songs such as “Law of Attraction”. Although not as acclaimed as Donda, It portrays the potential awaiting for this Zimbabwe based artist. Overall, The Lockdown did come up with some bonuses — #MoreMusicMoreVibes - Kudzai Mumba
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R O N O I T A N I M EXA ? N O I T A N I M R E T X E
So we wrote our mid-year results and for most of us the results we got were neither the ideal nor the best; whilst others did exceptionally well - and congratulations if that's you - but for those that failed luckily these aren’t your final results and bear in mind (O and A level students), we've got our final exams coming up and probably this would be a wake-up call to get better and keep pushing. As many of you know we won't be using these results as our predictions. So pull up your socks and take your chance, show your hard work and don't forget to pray. “...exams were a bit stressful especially with my parents invigilating the session," says a student who passed exceptionally well, but didn’t like the fact of writing at home when they could've been written at school. Most students actually used this as an opportunity to cheat and as said in the Bible, “you reap what you sow”, so all the best to you students in the final exams and try your best. GOODLUCK - Rufaro Chanakira
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But if you’re brave [enough] you can manage to do it. K. Ncube: Tell me about the experience. D. Keshav: It was quite an interesting experience, something different, something we had never done before [recording at home].
K. Ncube: You performed allied arts in both your primary school year and now in your high school year, can you tell me about the experience? A. Mangami: Performing allied arts [in primary school] was quite challenging but at the same time it was also fun because I would perform in a group, so whenever I used to get nervous, I would improve more (confidence-wise) because I had other people there with me so I wouldn’t be scared when I was now going on stage. I’m pleased to be the one saying (more like writing, really) that we had a Form 1 participating in allied arts! Not everyone has the courage nor the zeal to do so. But whenever someone does, they deserve to be congratulated especially when it’s a young eagle. K. Ncube: Are there anythings (sic) that you took from your primary school performance and incorporated into your high school performance? A. Mangami: There was only one, and that was bravery. We were taught by our teachers that if you’re scared you won’t bring out the best results.
Trying to put together all the logistics in order to make it work was a long thought process, getting through everything. But I did end up using a number of skills (editing) that I never thought I would need. Melissa Ngwenya and Diya Keshav did a duo poetry for the NIAA. With one in Gweru and the other in Bulawayo, they managed to make ends meet and string up a stupendous performance. K. Ncube: What was the highlight of the experience? D. Keshav: The highlight, even though it was a scary moment and is something I believe I will remember for a long time to come. We were nearly done filming and the video was due, Tirivashe Muza (a former eagle) said to us, your videos are not in sync and even if I edit your piece as best as I can, you guys won’t be in sync and that’s what’s important for a duo performance. So we like, ‘oh no, how do we do this? it’s almost six o’clock as it is’. We just pushed I had to make a makeshift tripod, add lighting, pop in an earphone, it was a situation. However, it did come out exactly how we wanted it to.
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Woah, I can’t imagine the pressure they must have been feeling. It must have been a nightmare! Nonetheless, their poem, “Rigged Games’‘ was about native Spanish children being forced to learn in another language in school. As well as being indoctrinated into thinking their mother tongue is of unimportance. Makes you think whether or not we should be learning in Shona/Ndebele. - Kaylee Ncube
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During these gruelling two months, we all became introverts and some more than others. But that’s beside the point. The Allied Arts Speech and Drama festival was hosted online and carried out in a way more orderly and intuitive way than it had been last year. A lot of people were now more confident and signed up (probably realising that this Covid thing wasn’t going away anytime soon, so they should just make the most of whatever comes their way), particularly seniors (Lower Sixes and Upper Sixes) who made up the bulk of participants.
Academics can get you down: piles of books you have to read, exercises and assignments you have to do, endless lessons you have to attend and the ohso-terrifying results day. It’s hard, especially if you ain’t doing so well in the “A” department. That’s why extra-curricular events like the Allied Arts Speech and Drama festival are so welcome. They give labouring and languishing students alike the ability to relax and let off some steam either actively (as performers) or passively (as spectators). For performers, the thrill of the art itself can be a type of relaxation, sort of a way to let out steam by exerting one's energies into something creative, something expressive. If not, it sure beats sitting in a chair with a book in front of your face all day. This year, Allied Arts was virtual (again). The Coronavirus pandemic did not let up, with the rise of a particularly vicious variant-fuelled third wave. So, naturally as one would expect these days, after the close of First Term the country went into lockdown leading to the closing of schools.
The format was honestly strange to me. I had totally avoided it last year, partly out of fear because the medium was new to me, and partly because I considered it a free pass to get out of performing something that year (phew, no performance stress for me!). This year, I got a good taste of performing behind the camera, and…it was quaint. Before me lay not an audience, but a lens, and invisible spectators who would watch my performance only when I decided to publish it. I gained some power, but also fear. I could fail so many times, and not be punished with a lowered grade. I could perfect my work. But what was perfect? I didn’t know. I would spend hours recording and re-recording until I got the “right” take. Reiterating my lines until I got sick of them, and until finally, without slip or stutter, I had finished my piece. To be fair, it wasn’t that bad. It was fun, and the sense of completion and joy when I finished recording a piece was exhilarating, but it was markedly different from the stage-and-audience performances I knew before in more ‘normal’ years.
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That was my own personal experience, But you’ve come here to read reviews, not a diary! So here’s a selection of some of the performances I personally liked (these are neither exhaustive nor me saying that they were ‘the best’. I happened to see them and I thought they were cool):
Two Duo Poems “Stop Saying I Love You” by Prince Ea - performed by Sharon Marangwanda and Kudzai Mumba Oh, the acolytes of Prince Ea! He really is a great spoken word artist, and those who choose to perform one of his many pieces almost always get something great out. Here, Sharon Marangwanda (who’s performed Prince Ea’s pieces a few times before) and Kudzai Mumba tagteam to produce a riveting critique of modern romance culture. They begin in unison, “Stop saying I love you, seriously”. They’ve had enough of the hollow, uncommitted, short-lived, over-expectant, underperforming culture of love that surrounds them, and memorable declare: “Contrary to popular belief”, goes Mumba, “true love is not blind”, Sharon finishes his line, and they proclaim together, “it has 20/20 vision”. True love is a “100-100 total commitment”. The way they present the poem is totally unique to them, delivering a rapid-fire machine gun spoken word philosophy coming at you at 100 kilometres an hour. They have smooth movements, shifting and swivelling in a way that’s doesn’t hypnotise, but rather enchants. You are absorbed into their piece as a whole. What’s also great is that they don’t simply do the back and forth of lines that you’d normally expect; you can’t truly predict who’ll say what next, and that’s what adds to its high listenability. Go check it out.
“Anxiety is like…” by Anacristina and Christopher Diaz - performed by Natasha Jones and Panashe Magadza I laughed during this one, it was really funny. It was terribly relatable and personally had me laughing not because of the novelty of the jokes, but rather the familiarity of the situations they describe, such as: “anxiety is looking for your peas, while you’re holding your peas!” The second half of the poem turns rather serious about its subject matter, adding a mature examination of the heavier elements of anxiety. They two also highlight their advanced skill as duo poets, with this particular moment when they say that anxiety is, “when you never feel in sync with yourself”, and actually go out of sync as they say the lines. It was brilliant! Like “anxiety is so extra!” (I couldn’t help myself, lol). Ultimately, this duo poem performance is a souldecrypting, critical look at anxiety that you should definitely watch.
A Solo Poem ”Scars” by Rudy Francisco -performed by Zandile Sibanda The head girl performs “Scars” by Rudy Francisco, a raw love poem written in list form, that lists ten (but actually eighteen) effects of the fallout of the poet’s breakup. In the opening lines, she wishes to “resurrect as someone spiteful enough to not care about” her ex-lover. Her third declaration, which is truly painful, is “loving you was the last thing I was really good at”; her fourth is a question that is both (possibly) a reference to Christopher Nolan’s Joker
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line in The Dark Night and to the poem’s title: “Four. You want to know how I got these scars?” She answers “I ripped every last piece of you out of my smile”. Declaration number nine, she says, “Nine. I was never really your girlfriend, I was just your hype man”. Number ten is the killer, “Ten. I hope your next girlfriend gets smallpox. Ten. Yes, I said smallpox. Ten. I hate you. Ten. But I miss you. Ten. I love you. Ten. It’s hard for me to count when I get emotional. Ten. You wasted my time, how dare you?…” and it goes on. It’s a really powerful poem, emotional and visceral. It goes up and down. At some point she gets angry, and the next she’s downright melancholic, and then next she’s vengeful. It’s honestly cathartic. Go watch it.
A Shakespearean Monologue “Come you, spirits”, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth by William Shakespeare - performed by Anotidaishe Ndoro Anotidaishe Ndoro performs Lady Macbeth’s occultic soliloquy, “Come you, spirits”, dressed in a black dress, as she depicts the murderous Scottish noblewoman’s descent into madness: “make thick my blood…stop up the axis and passage to remorse”. The effect is vivid, capturing the dark nature of Lady Macbeth’s pronouncements to commit to murdering her king, Duncan. - Kundai-Karl Mpame
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The Eagle
Credits Editor-in-chief for this edition - Kundai-Karl Mpame Vice-President - Melissa Ngwenya Writers: Kaylee Ncube, U6 Kundai-Karl Mpame, U6 Tawananyasha Musingarabwi, L6 Kudzai Mumba, L6 Rufaro Chanakira, L6 Thembinkosi Mkhosana, F4
We’d like to thank Mrs Deysel and Miss Haukozi for allowing this edition to happen. This wouldn’t have been possible without you!