Edutainment AMP’s creative learning changes ‘slow learners’ into confident and ambitious creatures

Middelburg — It is a weekday afternoon in Mhluzi, the sound of music drifts from a modest community art centre. Inside, children are not sitting in rows behind desks. They are moving, performing, debating, drawing and discovering. This is Edutainment AMP — a space where learning speaks the language of creativity.

For Lehumo Mlotjwa, manager at Edutainment AMP, is far more than “learning made fun.” It is the intentional use of creative arts — music, dance, drama, visual arts, animation and storytelling. This is a bridge to understanding concepts that many learners struggle to grasp in traditional classrooms. “Learning must be active, relatable, and rooted in the learner’s lived reality,” Mlotjwa explains.

Edutainment AMP was founded to respond to a deep educational gap in township communities such as Mhluzi and Middelburg, where the arts are often dismissed as hobbies rather than recognised as serious learning tools or career pathways. At the same time, many learners — especially those labelled as “slow learners” — are sidelined by rigid teaching methods. “These learners are not incapable,” says Mlotjwa. “They simply learn differently.”

Initially created for school-going children from underprivileged backgrounds, the organisation has since grown to include youth, emerging artists and facilitators who also need platforms, skills development and income opportunities. While children remain the core focus, the ripple effects extend to families, schools and the wider community.

Success measured differently

Success at Edutainment AMP is not measured only in numbers. It is seen in confidence gained, self-worth restored and the moment a learner realises they are capable and creative. One such moment involved a learner who struggled with reading and speaking and was labelled as a slow learner at school. Through poetry and storytelling sessions, she found her voice and later performed confidently on stage. Her teacher later reported improved classroom participation and self-esteem.

The organisation’s programmes reflect the needs and talents already present in the community. Flagship initiatives include the Arts Mentorship Programme (AMP), ArtWave Sessions hosted at local venues, school-based arts education, animation and digital arts training, music and dance programmes, creative writing, and fashion and sewing skills development. Learning objectives always come first, with entertainment serving as the method rather than the goal.

That balance is maintained through close collaboration between educators and creatives. Content is co-designed to ensure accuracy while remaining engaging and culturally relevant. Local languages, township stories, and everyday experiences shape the curriculum, while inclusivity is reflected in representation across gender, age, learning ability and disability.

‘Learning feels less intimidating’

For Duduzile Mnguni, a visual arts facilitator at Edutainment AMP and former tutor at Tshwane University of Technology, this approach has transformed her understanding of teaching. “Here, we focus on understanding the child first before the curriculum,” she says. “That was missing in formal systems.”

Mnguni describes edutainment as teaching through experience. “Learning feels less intimidating,” she notes. One learner who struggled with language concepts began to improve once lessons were introduced through drama and role-play. “That’s when learning really clicked.”

The realities learners bring with them — poverty, hunger, low self-esteem and limited access to resources — shape every lesson. Edutainment AMP addresses this by offering access to instruments, laptops for animation, art materials and safe creative spaces that many township homes and schools lack. Safeguarding and ethics remain central, with supervised sessions, consent processes, and careful handling of sensitive topics.

For 18-year-old Nonjabulo Mngomezulu, a Grade 12 learner, the programme has been life-changing. Introduced to Edutainment AMP through school competition preparations, she found more than creative skills.

“Music rehearsal helped me heal from everything that was happening in my life,” she says. “Learning here is different. It’s not only about academics — it’s more relevant to life and moves at a safe pace.”

Through the programme, Mngomezulu discovered new passions, improved her teamwork and communication skills, and learned how to socialise with confidence. She describes Edutainment AMP as a “future vision upgrade” — a space that allows learners to explore possibilities and ask “what if?”

Doing more with less

Funding remains one of the organisation’s greatest challenges. Edutainment AMP relies on grants, donors, partnerships and limited income from events, while working hard to keep programmes low-cost or free. Partnerships are carefully chosen to protect child safety, educational integrity and creative independence.

Looking ahead, Mlotjwa envisions Edutainment AMP as a provincial creative education hub, part of a wider network of community arts centres. Technology has already expanded their reach into animation and digital storytelling, though access inequality remains a concern.

Perhaps the biggest misconception the organisation continues to challenge is the idea that edutainment is “just fun.” In reality, it is disciplined, intentional, and deeply impactful work — especially for learners failed by traditional systems and communities where art has long been undervalued.

Inside Edutainment AMP, art is not an escape from education. It is the classroom itself.