South African storytelling for kids
MANILA, Philippines - An interesting children’s story titled “Mazanendaba” will be told by Gcina Mhlophe-Becker of South Africa on July 8 and 9, 10 a.m., and July 10, 3 pm. and 8 p.m., at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Huseng Batute (Studio Theater). The event is presented by the Embassy of South Africa in cooperation with the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
“Mazanendaba” is about a woman who lived in a beautiful house by the sea with her husband and children, but something was missing from their life. There were no stories at that time. Mazanendaba went out into the forest and plains nearby to ask the animals if they knew some stories. She had almost given up hope of finding any stories, when Eagle told her that Dolphin could take her to the underwater Kingdom where the Spirit King and Queen lived with the Spirit People. This is where she could find the stories she was searching for.
This book was chosen as one of the Proudly South African 100 Representative Children’s Books of Africa at the 29th Ibby World Congress in 2004. In the introduction to the author’s most recent book, Stories of Africa, it was cited as her favorite story. It is ideal for the five to nine-year-old age group.
Born in 1959, Gcina Mhlophe is a well-known South African freedom fighter, activist, actor, storyteller, poet, playwright, director and author. Storytelling is a deeply traditional activity in Africa and Mhlope is one of the few woman storytellers in a country dominated by males. She does her most important work through charismatic performances, working to preserve storytelling as a means of keeping history alive and encouraging South African children to read. She tells her stories in four of South Africa’s languages: English, Afrikaans, Zulu and Xhosa.
For inquiries, contact the CCP Box Office at 832-3704 and CCP Performing Arts Department at 832-1125 local 1606 to 1607.
