An amateur film produced and narrated by David Williams of a delegation from Durham University visiting Lerotholi Technical Centre in the capital of Lesotho Maseru where they help to educate a group of student teachers in how to teach primary school children. The film shows the student teachers participating in a variety of activities both scientific and artistic around the college and listening intently at lectures. They also participate in a dramatization of a local folk story by designing...

An amateur film produced and narrated by David Williams of a delegation from Durham University visiting Lerotholi Technical Centre in the capital of Lesotho Maseru where they help to educate a group of student teachers in how to teach primary school children. The film shows the student teachers participating in a variety of activities both scientific and artistic around the college and listening intently at lectures. They also participate in a dramatization of a local folk story by designing and painting their own costumes and props. Some of the delegation also participate in a school lesson with local children which is watched by the teachers. The film ends with the delegation saying goodbye and crossing the border out of Lesotho. The film opens on a group of student teachers standing outside a number of buildings, part of the Lerotholi Technical Centre in Masero, the capital of Lesotho. It is cold and many of them are wearing overcoats, a group of men warm themselves over a fire. Two women from the Durham University delegation begin to organise the participants. The film cuts to a field where both the men and women from the college take part in a game of netball as a warming up exercise. Included amongst them are a number of nuns in religious habits. A salamander is filmed on the field. On a nearby hillside 1st year students from the technical centre work alongside students from St Catherine’s Training College in an environmental study. Using trowels, they dig into the earth placing samples into plastic bags. Back on the sports field a man paces out a length. General views follow of a number of students estimating the height of a tree using a pole and the tree’s shadow. The film cuts to show one of the male delegates giving a lecture to the student teachers who are all sitting around him listening intently. The film changes to show views of the pupils sitting on the ground painting a variety of colourful designs. A road sign pointing towards the ‘Lancer’s Inn’ also advertises ‘Castle Lager’. A view of a car parking is followed by a brief shot of David Williams filming himself in a mirror. Back outside, two women and a man from the Durham delegation discuss the project and visit. The film cuts to show two women walking along a road carrying sacks on their heads. Back at the technical centre, student teachers sit around a table drawing various local plants and animals including a scorpion. Others sit on the ground painting various designs and drawings. Inter-cut with this other students building a model mud hut from stones and straw. On a nearby table members of the environmental study group seen earlier write up their notes. Items they have collected are placed on the table in front of them, many in plastic bags. On the field, participants wave their arms in the air as part of a dramatization exercise. As a group, they work together to tell a local folk story about the visitation of evil spirits. One the participates wears a facemask made from straw, another wears a number of bandanas to hide his face. The film cuts to show a diorama of the environmental study site showing the hillside with painted background, twigs used as trees and a road with a car. On the ground a group of women fold large pieces of paper into paper airplane shapes. A man shouts followed by various women wearing colourful paper costumes along with men holding with colourful kites all produced for their upcoming performance. A small boy sits on the ground painting followed by him being talked to by a man and woman. The women seen previously folding paper throw their paper airplanes into the air. The film cuts to the field where the students perform their story, narrated by the filmmaker. The film cuts to show some of the students, including the nuns, painting on the ground. The film changes to show a number of small clay models sitting on a piece of paper. A man spins a home-made spinning top on a table. General views show children participating in a ‘demonstration’ lesson being held by some of the Durham delegation. Sitting on the ground the children paint, making things with clay and one girl holds a rope made from grass. In the background the student teachers watch how the classes are given. The film changes to show views of the surrounding landscape and mountains near to the school. Bags are loaded into a Land Rover and one of the Durham delegation says goodbye to two other men. Three of the delegation stand in a row wearing the traditional Mokorotto straw hats. A car pulls away, this is followed by a phantom car ride looking back on The Basotho Hat Craft Shop on Kingsway in Maseru built in the shape of a traditional ‘Mokorotto’ woven hat. The car drives across a check point past a guard and then across a railway bridge before arriving at another border crossing. A group of men stand nearby talking and the film ends with views looking back towards Lesotho.