AAAT 2025 Workshop Facilitators
Christine Voigts
Youth Workshop
Born in Johannesburg, SA, on 2.5.1956, I grew up in Namibia/Windhoek. After studying in Stellenbosch for four years, I taught for one year and then started my dream: farming with Ulf on a farm near Windhoek. An intense connection to holistic farming (Alan Savoury), raising two children, forming a community, and engaging in political striving for Namibia’s independence determined my life. Then I met Anthroposophy, the Christian Community and Bio-Dynamic Farming when I was 37 years old. That changed my life in every aspect and flowed into all the promising projects that were already and were becoming part of my life. I farmed for 29 years, then became a priest in 2009 and am still living on the farm in a lively and dynamic farming community with agriculture as the centre. I do spend most of my time, however, in Windhoek, at the Stephanus Church, in a hopefully growing congregation with the altar and the sacraments of a renewed religious movement in the centre. I am deeply grateful to be active in these two very connected and interdependent worlds.
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Angela Hofmann
Introduction into Bio-dynamic agriculture
Originating from Germany, my biodynamic journey began in Switzerland and Germany before leading me to Sekem in Egypt in 1982. There, I played a crucial role in converting desert land into a fertile biodynamic farm. Later I also joined the Egyptian Biodynamic Association, which helps farmers to convert to organic and biodynamic agriculture (today 6000 farmers).
My commitment to sustainable practices involves conducting organic and biodynamic trials, training programs for students and at the AAAT since its beginning, and actively contributing to African agricultural trainer development. I extend my influence across Asia, delivering lectures and workshops, particularly in Taiwan.
Oliver Venance
Introduction into Bio-dynamic agriculture
After graduating from Sokoine university of agriculture where she accuired her Bachelor of science in Agriculture Economics and Agribusiness in 2019, Oliver trainned about Biodynamic agriculture Sekem farm and Heliopolis University in egypt for one year where she expertise in BD preparation and Organic farming. Oliver managed to Open Organic Hill Farming Company Limited in 2020 which is located in Nothern East of Tanzania which serving more than 2000 small holder farmers by providing organic farming services as well as markerting of their agricultural produces. This year Oliver has established biodynamic Agriculture plot of 3 acres where she will start training farmers about biodynamic farming and it^s ecological, economical and nutritionous advantages.
Heidrun von Koenen
Brigitte Fleischmann
The first seven years in the light of Waldorf pedagogic
Heidrun von Koenen was born and raised in Namibia. She was one of the founders of the Waldorf School Windhoek which opened its doors in 2000. Since 2007 she has worked as a class teacher at the school.
After I, Brigitte Fleischmann, had the chance to accompany a class for 8 years as a class teacher in a Waldorf school in Germany, I set off into the world. In October 2021, I arrived at the Farm Krumhuk in Namibia and founded a learning space together with a dedicated group of parents. With the Waldorf curriculum and the life on the farm, we want to give pedagogical ideas the space to create a school for the future.
Julia O'Leary
Healing soul wounds
Julia O'Leary is an Eurythmy Therapist and Eurythmy Therapy Trainer. She has worked as a Waldorf teacher, Eurythmy teacher, High School Craft teacher and had a school of Art and Craft. She has worked with special needs and autism.
Julia trained in all the above as well as Extra Lesson = Audrey McAllen and Colour therapy - Liane Collot d'Herbois.and Bea van der Steen. She has a degree in Art, majoring in Sculpture and has a BA in Dance (Eurythmy) and Eurythmy Therapy Diploma.
The focus of her work is to remove obstacles out of the child's way and especially to help where there is trauma, illness and developmental delay.
Wilfried Bohm
Sustainable building - with people and the environment
Born and raised in Namibia, then many years in Britain where he trained and practised both as an architect and as a Waldorf teacher. Back in Africa, in Cape Town, for 30 years, working first in a Camphill community, then as an architect and lately
teaching architecture at universities. Otherwise involved in many ways in the life and explorations of Anthroposophy.
If interested or already signed up for this workshop, then please contact him at wilbohm56@gmail.com, so that your interests and wishes can be included in planning.
Mpho Makutu
How to improve inclusion of people with special needs?
Mpho Makutu is the Assistant Director of Camphill Community Trust Botswana, a non-governmental organization located in Otse which provides education and training to children & young adults with intellectual disabilities and other disabilities. With over 10 years of experience in the field of special education, her educational experiences have afforded her the opportunity to lead successful initiatives to meet the needs of children and young adults with disabilities. Mpho's specialties are learning difficulties, curriculum development and education management in the field of special needs.
Maaianne Knuth
The Art of Hosting Conversations and Actions That Matter
Maaianne’s story bridges Europe and Africa in an arc that travels from Copenhagen, where she studied international business, to Zimbabwe, where she co-founded the learning centre, Kufunda. Core to Kufunda’s work is enabling rural communities to become strong, empowered agents of their own destiny. At Kufunda this work now
includes a growing Waldorf inspired school for the local children, and bio-dynamic farming. Maaianne’s work in conscious dance, mindfulness, and creative process supports individuals in waking to who they are and what they can be within their
communities.
Patric Ssegujja
Connecting Realms: Exploring African Spirituality and Anthroposophy
Currently am engaged in Community Facilitation for People working on land (farming as a source income) Furthermore in Coordination with schools in Uganda under the Federation of Free Education Initiatives (FFEI), with inspiration of Steiner approaches to Curriculum Development.
Aletta Venter
Making the invisible, visible
I qualified as an Animal Scientist in 1983 at the University of Stellenbosch. Since then, I have been practically involved in various roles and capacities in the agricultural field as a consultant, trainer, educator whilst always farming myself. In 2002 I embarked on the life-long learning of being a biodynamic farmer. This included donating our family farm into a Land Trust [Die Bevryde Grond Trust] to be held in perpetuity for the benefit of the local Earth Community. Since late 2024, my focus has shifted from operating as a primary agricultural producer to pursuing a more balanced approach of managing land from an eco-cultural perspective.
Cobie Roelvert
Child Development (birth to 7 years) workshop
Cobie Roelvert is a eurythmist and adult educator. She teaches eurythmy in adult classes and workshops, at the Kairos Eurythmy Training and the Starseed Community school, all of these in Cape Town, and mentors new eurythmy teachers. She facilitates an Art of Creating Conversation schooling course and the How to Love course and is a member of the Active Practical Love Inititative in South Africa. She has been involved with the AAAT since 2017.
Ruth Thiongo
Child Development (birth to 7 years) workshop
Cobie Roelvert is a eurythmist and adult educator. She teaches eurythmy in adult classes and workshops, at the Kairos Eurythmy Training and the Starseed Community school, all of these in Cape Town, and mentors new eurythmy teachers. She facilitates an Art of Creating Conversation schooling course and the How to Love course and is a member of the Active Practical Love Inititative in South Africa. She has been involved with the AAAT since 2017.
Annette Saar
Youth Workshop
Born in Frankfurt/Main on 9.8.1965 I grew up in a rural area in the middle of Germany. After school I made an apprenticeship as a gardener, worked for 2 years in different countries. After studying horticulture I got married in 1993 and together with my husband worked for the German Development Service for 2 years in Namibia. These years changed our lives. I met the Christian Community and Anthroposophy in Windhoek, as well as Bio Dynamic Farming. Back in Germany I raised two children an got to know the schooling of the perception of life forces (Dorian Schmidt) and started training. For the last 10 years I have been giving seminars for different age groups in life force observation.
Since 2020 I also work as a garden teacher at the Waldorf School in Prien, southern Germany.
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Helen van Zyl
Introduction into Biodynamic agriculture
BA in Psychology & Philosophy: MA Holistic Agroecology.
Chair of BDAASA 2009 - 2013, MC member of BFDI Work experience & profession:
Farmed organically & biodynamically for 8 years specialising in vegetable growing. Trainer and coordinator of foundation and advanced courses in organic and biodynamic agriculture.
Facilitated adult education courses on personal leadership &
organisational development.
Presently converting 100 ha farm with apples, pears, buchu & flowers to organic and biodynamic practice. Introducing and developing micro dairy and establishing vines.
Passionate about Africa and other southern hemisphere countries connecting internationally so that they inform and
represent their agricultural and practical needs. In return they can contribute & share their own cultural & local knowledge with the global movement.
Gabriele Ruehl
Taking charge: working with your own biography
Gabriele works as Waldorf-and Curative Education teacher, Biographical Counsellor and Artist.In her twenties she moved to South Africa,where she found her spiritual home in Anthroposophy and taught in a school for deaf children.For over 20 years she pioneered and worked in Waldorfschools in South Africa,South America,Namibia and Europe.Back in Germany she built up her own individual pathway with Biographical counselling work, including workshops overseas.Gabriele´s focus and Joy lies in strengthening the healthy part within us with a strong artistictly healing aproach. Right now she is working in her own Studio, taking some breathing space to develop her Artwork further as well as doing her artistic Biographical counselling work.
Angela Katschke
Self-development through painting
Angela Katschke graduated as an art therapist from a German University in 1999.
Since then she has been working in psychiatric, psychosomatic and psycho-therapeutic medicine with all age groups. Anthroposophy has been her source for deeper knowledge and guidance since 1993. Coming to South Africa she specialised in the field of art therapy for traumatised children living in unsafe and unstable communities.
Angela founded the Butterfly Art Project in October 2010, an organisation bringing creativity and healing through art to children growing up in marginalised communities.
She has developed several training modules for Community Art Facilitator training. In April 2022 she handed over leadership to find more time for consulting and training art
therapeutic skills and organisational development.
Kiki Sanne
Healing soul wounds
Kiki Sanne worked as a vocational schoolteacher for English and agriculture in Germany, where she grew up. After a stay of several years in the 1990s, she moved permanently to South Africa in 2005. She has completed various additional training courses in coaching, education and nature -and equine assisted inner journeys. She works in a variety of areas as coach, project manager and seminar leader and has been a mentor to a rural Waldorf School for more than 12 years. She’s been involved with the Christian Community for many years and has been heading Emergency Pedagogy in Johannesburg since 2017, accompanying several missions of Friends of Waldorf Education and conducting international basic training.
Inken Kuehhirt
How to improve inclusion of people with special needs?
Inken Kuehhirt is a sixth generation German-speaking Namibian. The foundations for her love of community work and collective social engagement was confirmed during her gap year at the Associacao Monte Azul in Brazil.
She is an occupational therapist with special interest in community development and community (re-) integration, which she currently explores through OT student fieldwork supervision, at the local University.
Patrick Essuman
How to improve inclusion of people with special needs?
Patrick Essuman is a disability and rehabilitation specialist from Ghana with a Bachelor's degree in Disability and Rehabilitation from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. He is currently admitted into the Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine at Northwestern Health Sciences University in the USA. He is the Founder and Executive Director of SBH Foundation Ghanaan organization committed to supporting individuals with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus. Patrick is also an Assistant chiropractor with a strong dedication to improving healthcare access and inclusion for children with disabilities.
Janet Manoni
Connecting Realms: Exploring African Spirituality and Anthroposophy
Founding member and Secretary General of Anthroposophical Community in Africa (ACiA) Core Group member of All Africa Anthroposophical Training (AAAT). Founder of Mwanangu Development Tanzania - supporting vulnerable children's access to Health and Education. A Waldorf teacher in Kindergarten and children with Special Needs. Director of Child Help International - supporting children with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus in the Global South. A Mandela Washington Fellowship member -YALI -Cohort 2016
Liesl Haasbroeck
Making the invisible, visible
I was the Pollinator of the Biodynamic Agricultural Association of Southern Africa from 2009 - 2016. I’ve been making fire with friction professionally since 2012 and have done countless ceremonies, demonstrations and fireshops. I started working with flowforms in 2015 As the Secretary of the International Flowform Association, I am part of a group of people developing a Water School with a strong phenomenology focus. I refer to myself as an Elementor as much of my work is about enlivening the way in which people think about and experience the elements. I explore the element of air by communicating how I have been Elementored. And the element of ether lives through my life in ceremony and ritual.
Thomas Linders
Making the invisible, visible
Born and raised in Switzerland, moved to South Africa with my family in 1987 and deepened my biodynamic agricultural knowledge under the mentorship of Alan Rosenberg.
At Camphill Cresset House I also developed the love for the element of water, especially the appropriate handling and cleansing of polluted waters.
From 1996 I ran my own company, designing and constructing constructed wetlands, building Flowforms and training in household food security garden systems in the townships around Johannesburg and Durban.
My work has expanded into the holistic design of human living spaces with the aid of Permaculture Design, utilising Effective Microorganisms (EM) within my environmental and agricultural work and since 2015 my main focus is in the development of Waaipoort Farm as a best practice model of intelligent life on earth (www.waaipoort.co.za).
Michaela Glöckler
Main Initiator AAAT
Michaela Glöckler is a pediatrician and Waldorf-school doctor. She is co-founder of the Alliance for Childhood and the European Alliance of Initiatives for Applied Anthroposophy/ELIANT. From 1988-2016 she headed the Medical Section at the Goetheanum in Switzerland and continues to travel internationally with lectures and seminars. Publications: Education for the Future and others.
Ulf Dieter Voigts
Chairperson AAAT Organisation Team Namibia
Born Namibian, raised on a farm, studied B. Agric. in South Africa, started farming with Holistic Management, co-founder of the bio-dynamic Farm Krumhuk Community, still living in that community as pensioner active in bio-dynamics, bee keeping, consulting, the Krumhuk Foundation, the Green Market Trust and a semi Private School and Hostel. I enjoy my family and horse riding.