Rebongwe Primary School get free school picture day with Canon SA
Thando Nondywana Canon South Africa and Bakwena Productions partnered to give learners at the Rebongwe Primary School in Meadowlands a free school picture day last week Friday.
Canon South Africa and Bakwena Productions partnered to give learners at the Rebongwe Primary School in Meadowlands a free school picture day last week Friday.
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The initiative, in its second year running, returned back to Soweto on a special visit at the institution with the My Canon Moment campaign, which gives learners in underdeveloped areas and townships free school pictures.
Arethur Molefe, Corporate Communications, PR and Marketing services Manager for Canon SA said, “I have a daughter whose pictures are everywhere in my grandmothers’ house and the reality is that this is an expensive exercise and not every South African parent can afford to pay to have their child do this every year.
“It dawned on me that I’m sure other kids wish for the same and that was one of the reasons that really pushed me to make this into an actual idea,” she explains.
“I’m lucky to have a very bendable CEO, David Preston who loved the project and that’s when we formalised it. Now we are going to have a free school picture day for at least four schools a year across the country.”
During its first campaign in 2022, the Canon team shot 6000 pictures for two schools in Soweto, with each learner walking away with free A4 size prints including a class picture, full body and half body pictures.
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The partnership between the two organisations dates back to 2022 when the organisations collaborated to bring the screening of Thando, an educational movie on teenage suicide and bullying, by Bawkena Productions to local schools in various townships in the province.
Parts of the movie, which was released in 2022 were shot at Rebongwe.
Kagiso Modupe, founder of Bakwena Productions said they wanted to bring the initiative to the institution to thank them for allowing the production to use their premises.
“As Bakwena productions, we are just passionate about a black child hence you will see with all the films we have done, they always involve issues that affect a black child. We have adopted a couple of schools around the country, and one of them is Rebongwe where we also shot our movie and we always try to assist and create an environment that children at private schools have that township schools don’t have, that’s where we come from,” he said.
“We still have pictures from our school years and we felt it is important that we give them something that they can be able to look back on, later in life.”
Four local photographers from around the area were selected to work with the brand.
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“It is important that we source local photographers around the area, as a way to further give back to these communities and empower young creatives,” she said.
“Last year we had eight photographers and this year we are glad to have four photographers, we are pleased to give back to the same people who are using our products,” Molefe concluded.
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