Children of Africa celebrate Madiba.
SAXONWOLD – Africa unites at the children's annual celebration.
The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund held its annual children’s celebration in Saxonwold on 15 July.
Every year, the fund, together with its partners and children from all over Africa, celebrate the birthday of its founder the late former President Nelson Mandela, and the theme for this year’s celebration was Madiba through the eyes of a child.
Sibongile Mkhabela, the fund’s CEO, welcomed all guests saying the late former president started the tradition with the intention to celebrate children. “We are going to spend the day today doing what we do best and that is to let children be children,” said Mkhabela.
“Let them play, let them think, let them give us ideas because many of our ideas here at the children’s fund come from them.”
The celebrations saw guests from Ethiopia, Nigeria, Malawi, Uganda, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Botswana taking part in the festivities. “We are very excited that it’s not only South Africans here today,” said the CEO. “Nelson Mandela stood for all the children in the world but, as African children, we can say he was ours.”
Renowned South African storyteller Gcina Mhlophe engaged and entertained the young guests. She spoke about the importance of taking pride in each one’s mother tongue using Mandela as an example. “No matter how much education Madiba had, how much he was respected all over the world, he was never embarrassed to speak his mother tongue,” said Mhlophe.
“No matter how successful you become, never give up on your own language and your own culture. We are all different and we don’t have to try so hard to love one another to a point that we are just one language and one culture,” she added.
Twenty-six senior pupils of Greenside High School were honoured to be counted among those who understood and valued what Madiba stood for.
“We are here because of Nelson Mandela,” said Mashudu Mbulaheni a prefect at Greenside High School.
“We are leaders in our school and believe in helping one another, which is what Madiba believed in.”
The Golden Youth Club, a performing arts group that runs an arts and crafts programme based in Winterveldt, north-west of Pretoria, was among the exhibitors on the day to showcase their work and to perform for guests at the party.
“We are going to perform and show our love for Mandela,” said Noma Johanna Mahlangu one of the founders and co-ordinator at the club.
“We have travelled all this way to be part of the celebrations.”
Mkhabela concluded, “Many a time we are with children dealing with problems, today we are not dealing with the problems, we are just saying that we are okay. All of us today stand in celebration of all the young people.”
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