Meet the puppet master growing the futures of kids in rural farming communities
Can puppets transform young people’s futures? Mariana Julius was raised in Stellenbosch where her father was employed as a farm worker. “At the time, there weren’t too many opportunities for people in my community,” she says. Many are unsure of what they would like to pursue as a career due to this lack of exposure, and so it wasn’t until an after-school programme was established in her community that Julius realised her purpose. Today she’s a puppet master using her artform to uplift children in the same position she was once in. “I am pulling strings to create opportunities for children living on rural farms,” Julius says.
To help children from farming communities realise and grow their talents, the Pebbles Project created a space for kids to explore different activities in addition to their school curriculum. Here, Julius took drama lessons during primary school and fell in love with performing. What began as a childhood passion blossomed into a full-grown career. After completing high school, she began working at this same organisation that inspired her calling, dressing up and interacting with children. As a fantasy play coordinator, Julius realised how well kids engage with education in this way. “Through my art, I am opening up a world that was otherwise distant to them,” she says. Julius has since completed a degree in Performing Arts from Northlink College and includes puppeteering into her lessons. ”These aren’t just puppets, they are symbols of endless possibilities,” she says.
Julius is now a pre-school facilitator and puppeteer for the Pebbles Project. “Instead of leaving the farm for a better life, I decided to give back my knowledge and skills to the children here,” she says. “Every day I set up a stage and transform into multiple characters playing different roles.” Children are delighted by Julius’ skill, and motivated to believe that they too can become the best versions of themselves. “A child's future should never be defined by where they come from,” she says.
