PUPILS from the Curro Academy Wilgeheuwel and Orchard School in Joburg put a twist to Mandela Day.
The young ones spent their 67 minutes watching three of five episodes of the international multi-award-winning Nelson Mandela African Folktales, which comprises stories told to former President Nelson Mandela as a boy in the village of Qunu by his mother and the elders.
The episodes aired at the Killarney Mall in Joburg on Tuesday, 18 July.
"The series is a selection of African folktales and teaches children a lesson in every episode, and it is stories that Mandela said were told to him as a boy when he grew up in the village in Qunu, Eastern Cape.
"These are the kind of stories that he wanted every boy and girl to know to learn modern lessons from these stories and also preserve our culture," Claudia Noble-Areff said.
She is the producer of the Nelson Mandela African Folktales and worked with her brother Sheldon Noble under Noble Pictures to bring these folktales to life in the form of animation.
The two also collaborated with Nanda Soobben of the Centre of Fine Arts Animation and Design.
"Nelson says in his book it is his dream that the voice of a storyteller will never die in Africa and all the children in the world will experience its wonder. Which is why, as a producer, I wanted to realise his dream and animated these stories.
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"Although children don't read that much anymore, they will be glued to their screens so they can learn lessons that made Nelson Mandela the statesman we admire today," Claudia said.
Speaking to the pupils just as they left the cinema, one of them said most of the series felt like a love story while others said they were intrigued by how respectful the young men in the film were towards their women and how hard working they were.
Wayne Cox, a teacher from Curro, said this was a nice experience for their pupils and hopes they can take the most from the short film while growing and becoming men and women of great character.
Actor and TV presenter Siphesihle Vazi, who was also there, said that watching the series also felt like he was paying homage and to carry on supporting local film producers and encourage young minds to pursue their dreams.
