World’s Children’s Prize participants set the stage ablaze
WHEN 16-year-old Busiswa Zingitwa was selected to be part of the World’s Children’s Prize (WCP) band to perform in Sweden, her dream of being a stage performer was beginning to come true.
The Grade 10 Chris Hani High School pupil from Makhaza, Khayelitsha, was among a group of child rights ambassadors and musicians from Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain who performed at the World’s Children’s Prize (WCP) ceremony.
Other children from all over the world performed before Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden late last year.
The World’s Children’s Prize Homecoming ceremony was attended by hundreds of people at the Artscape Theatre yesterday.
The WCP Programme was supported by more than 67 000 schools in 113 countries, and by more than 700 organisations, departments of education and institutions.
In Grade 9 last year, Busiswa’s life orientation teacher convinced her to audition for the WCP band. “For someone who comes from a township, you need to take these kind of opportunities very seriously because our peers are getting pregnant at a very young age.
“Opportunities like these come once, so when chances like these come, you need to grab them with both hands. It’s difficult to get here,” she said.
“It was always my dream to be where I am today. But I cannot say my dream has come true. There are still a lot of things I need to do and achieve.
“There are a lot of stages I need to go through to be where I want to be.”
About two million children voted Phymean Noun, from Cambodia, to be the Child Rights Hero of the Year and recipient of the World’s Children’s Prize 2015, often called the “Children’s Nobel Prize” by the media internationally.
Phymean was awarded for her fight to give education and a better life to children living in extreme poverty on the rubbish dumps of Phnom Penh. As a child, she was kidnapped by the Khmer Rouge, who threatened to kill her family.
Javier Stauring, of the US, and Kailash Satyarthi, of India, were honorary laureates in October. Five Nobel Prize laureates have rallied behind the WCP as patrons, as well as three global legends: Aung San Suu Kyi, Xanana Gusmão and Nelson Mandela.
The patrons also include Graça Machel and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven. South African patrons also include Struggle veteran Ahmed Kathrada, Independent Media Executive Chairman Dr Iqbal Survé and singer Vusi Mahlasela.
Goodwill Ambassador for WCP South Africa, Nadia Kamies, said children from South African schools had been major participants in the programme, not only voting every year, but also sending musicians to perform in Sweden.
“In 2014, we decided to share this life-changing event with the communities where the children come from and organised an evening of video clips interspersed with musical performances to showcase their participation,” she said.