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Photo: O País
The UP Foundation, in partnership with visual artist Naguib Abdula, this Wednesday celebrated the centennial of Nelson Mandela with a painting event involving nearly 100 children from various schools in Maputo.
“Mandela – 100 years” … “Nelson Mandela lives in us” … “Nelson Mandela is love” … These are some of the messages that dominate the colourful pictures that the children painted in honour of the icon of the struggle against apartheid in South Africa.
There was good reason. If Mandela were alive today, he would be 100.
According to the Universidade Pedagógica Foundation program manager Teresa Jonas, the paintings are part of Nelson Mandela’s 100th anniversary celebrations, and it was decided to involve children in painting because it wold give them a space to express their feelings about him.
“We decided to involve children in painting because it is art – a place where they can go beyond, be at ease and also debate and reflect on Mandela’s legacy of peace, love, reconciliation, closeness to our neighbour and human rights,” she explained.
Artist Naguib Abdula, a partner in the initiative, said that the choice of children as a way to honour the icon of the struggle against apartheid was justified because Mandela carried on his struggle against apartheid to defend their future.
“Mandela was a person who loved children. In fact, Nelson Mandela’s struggle was always for a future and our children are the future, so the best homage we thought we could give was precisely to paint the 100 years of Mandela with the children,” Abdula said.
The children for their part showed great awareness of the reasons for celebrating Nelson Mandela’s centenary. Achad Chirindza, a pupil of the Primary School 4 de Outubro, said that with paintings he learned that Nelson Mandela fought against racism and Tifa Matsinhe, a student at the same school, added: “I learned that he respected all people, did everything for us and he fought for all blacks.”
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on July 18, 1918 in Mvezo, a small village in the District of O. R Tambo, South Africa. In 1993 he was the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and in 1994 became the first black president of South Africa.
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