WANTS TO ENTERTAIN, EDUCATE KIDS
LEGENDARY storyteller Gcina Mhlophe will keep children entertained with a five-minute online story daily over 10 days during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Private higher education institution Mancosa’s School of Education has partnered with the Gcinamasiko Arts and Heritage Trust to get the world-renowned actress, playwright, storyteller and author to keep children captivated with her iconic voice and knack of storytelling.
Mhlophe said she had chosen stories with an African theme and would deliberately expose children to a wide vocabulary and provide them with verbal and mental stimuli – something they may have missed since the closing of schools.
“I’ve specifically chosen stories that will take children’s minds somewhere else during these dark and gloomy days,” she said.
Mancosa Academic director Professor Zaheer Hamid said audio recordings of the storytelling series would be available free from today until May 1.
He said keeping children occupied during the lockdown could prove quite a challenge.
While some schools were sending out work, many children who were feeling the impact of the pandemic needed a digital diet that was both light-hearted and uplifting.
“Lockdown must not only be about school work for children.
“They also need time to set their minds free to imagine, dream and indulge in creativity. Our children have been in isolation for the past three weeks.
“The first couple of days were spent delighting in their newlyfound freedom out of school. But then what?
“As part of our humanitarian activities aimed at giving back to communities during the pandemic, we decided to focus on children by keeping them entertained with stories, even if only for a few minutes each day for 10 days,” Hamid said.
Mhlophe has cultivated a career spanning several decades of telling stories since first being influenced by her grandmother’s tales as a child.
Mhlophe’s written and performance talent has taken her from South
Africa to North and South America, Europe, Greenland and Japan.
Mhlophe has worked tirelessly, running Nozincwadi Mother of Books Literacy Campaign since 2001, to help make South Africa a reading nation.
To access the stories, visit: www. mancosa.co.za
They will also be available on Mancosa’s social media pages – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.