Home | Amoyo

Since time immemorial, the arts – dance, singing, and drama – have been used as a source of entertainment as well as a medium of healing, lifting spirits, teaching life’s toughest lessons, and preserving our shared stories, all while developing holistic skills such as mindset, confidence, emotional and physical well-being. At Amoyo Performing Arts Foundation, we believe in the transformative, uplifting and healing power of Arts in Education, especially for the most vulnerable in our community – the children.

Amoyo means “spirit of appreciation” and this philosophy underpins everything that we do.

We firmly believe that every child, regardless of their circumstances, carries within them a spark of magic waiting to be ignited. The first thing Amoyo does is to make sure that every child feels welcome and wanted. We follow that in every interaction along with a hefty dose of appreciation, sprinkling in positivity, respect, and encouragement to make them start to recognize their self-worth. Being a haven, where feeling safe, kindness, tolerance and empathy become second nature allows our children to spread their wings, find their rhythm, and start daring to dream and see the path towards creating a better future.

All of Amoyo’s beneficiaries are drawn from the disadvantaged community of Imizamo Yethu in Hout Bay, Western Cape. This community is characterised by widespread unemployment and poverty, high levels of crime and substance abuse, and little or no formal infrastructure. For most beneficiaries, involvement in the programme is their first opportunity to participate in a professional extra-mural activity that offers equitable access to opportunities that every child should experience as part of their childhood.