Celebrities and special guests celebrated the centenary of Nelson Mandela’s birth by joining learners and staff at Crown Mines Primary School in Johannesburg on 18 July 2018 as the school received a restocked and refurbished school library from the Mandela Library Project.
The Mandela Library Project works with under-resourced schools to establish and maintain container libraries in order to boost literacy, and has delivered more than 100 such libraries since 2011.
Among the guests were Zenani Dlamini, the eldest daughter of Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, the Soweto Gospel Choir and actress Hlubi Mboya Arnold.
The learners, who were also the first recipients of a new book series by author and cartoonist Tim Mostert, joined the Soweto Gospel Choir in a rousing rendition of Under the Sun by the Natural Born Hippies. All proceeds of sales of the song will go towards the Mandela Library Project.
Robert Coutts, Mandela Education Project CE, said it was an honour to return to the school. “In marking what would have been Tata Madiba’s 100th birthday, we chose to visit Crown Mines Primary, which is particularly close to our hearts. The school was originally opened in the 1930s to service the children of mineworkers and has grown since then. The love and energy put into it by the school leaders and families not only resonates through the whole community, but also captures Madiba’s spirit of giving back.”
To find out more about the Mandela Library Project, visit http://www.participateforgood.com/projects/mandela-day-libraries.
Zenani Dlamini, the eldest daughter of Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, and actress Hlubi Mboya Arnold with the Mandela Library Project team.