In the spirit of Mandela Day, City of Cape Town libraries will be pulling out all the stops to follow the compassionate footsteps of Madiba with an array of activities taking place across various libraries as well as within the local communities in which they are situated.
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Every year on 18 July, South Africans and the rest of the globe honour our late former President and icon, Nelson Mandela.
In 2010, the date of Mandela’s birthday was proclaimed ‘Nelson Mandela International Day’ by the United Nations General Assembly to inspire communities to take action to help change the world for the better.
Since then, the Mandela Day Campaign encourages people to use 67 minutes of their time to support a chosen charity or service in their local community as a symbol of the 67 years that our former president fought for human rights and the abolition of apartheid.
‘Although everyone is asked to give 67 minutes to serve, our librarians live this spirit of nation building every day,’ said Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Patricia van der Ross.
‘I encourage our patrons to get involved and do their part in not only giving to others but also supporting our librarians,’ added van der Ross.
These events offer an all-in-one opportunity to get yourselves and the younger ones involved in building and uplifting our local communities, serving each other and having some fun together – in the spirit of Madiba.
Here’s what’s happening:
Monday, 17 July 2023
- Scottsdene Library will host a teen knitting session
- Lotus River Library will host a storytelling session with libraries mascot LiBee at noon along with arts and crafts
Tuesday, 18 July 2023
- Kensington Library will host a soup kitchen and talk at the Kensington Home of the Aged
- Macassar Library will hold a talk on drug abuse
- Fisantekraal Library will host a clean-up of the community parking lot at the multi-purpose centre
- Philippi East will host a soup kitchen at the Masakhane Old Age Home as well as storytelling and arts and crafts for the younger ones
- Huguenot Square will host storytelling, followed by arts and crafts, with soup and bread for the community
- Belhar Library will host a soup kitchen at the Freedom Farm informal settlement
- Scottsdene Library will plant a vegetable garden
- Otter Library is handing out soup and sandwiches
- Gordon’s Bay Library will host a beach clean-up
- Observatory Library will be giving out breakfast and coffee out front
- Lotus River Library will spend 67 minutes with the seniors of Home Morea and has a soup kitchen at noon.
- Brackenfell Library will join Brackenfell Clinic and reach out to the mothers and young children visiting the clinic on this day.
Sunday, 23 July 2023
- Bishop Lavis Library will host a soup kitchen in the library hall.
Tuesday, 25 July 2023
- Durbanville Library will host a ‘Golden Oldie’ movie day
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Picture: Ranurte / Unsplash
