International Friendship Day

Collage of Brendahs class

Today is a celebration of International Friendship Day. Such a day becomes more meaningful the more globally connected we get. Having online global friends helps develop empathy for different cultures, ideas, religions, spaces we live in, conditions we live under etc. Misunderstanding leads to racism, friction and conflict.

My good friend, Sebastian Panakal from Kerala India was going to link up his students with mine today to do an international wave. But, the school was unable to connect. As Sebastian stated:

The school has postponed World Friendship Day Celebration ( and the Skype wave to your students) on 30th July due to Ramadan Holidays. Unfortunately MOON on this day came a bit late and the Ramadan prayer had to be rescheduled..

Immediately, my class is getting a sense of a different religion, the importance of this festival to Islamic people etc without connecting formally.

At night, a request came over the HLW skype group from Brendah of Port Elizabeth, East Cape, South Africa, for someone to speak to her grade 4 class about subsistence and commercial farming in their country. As I live on a farm, it was of personal interest to me. 29 students from her class, with names that I could never have pronounced, participated in the skype linkup with me and had to work out what country I was from, then ask questions on farming. They all spoke their native tongue, learnt in English at school but also learnt Afrikaans at school.

To complete the linkup, they sang with great rhythm and passion, a song that nearly brought tears to my eyes. There was a time ….

What does International Friendship Day mean to you? How did you celebrate it?

 

 

The South African Connection

As the world mourns the loss of Nelson Mandela and we all take time to reflect on this great man’s achievements, there is an even closer connection for me and a more personal impact. For you see:-

• my daughter-in-law is Sth African
• two of my grandchildren are Sth African
• my oldest son lives in Johannesburg Sth Africa with his family.

One of the first places we visited on our first visit to Johannesburg was that of Soweto. The advice was to take a guided tour and one of the highlights of the tour was stepping through the home that was Mandela’s. When visiting Cape Town that same year it was with some disappointment to learn that all tours to Robin Island, where Mandela was imprisoned for so many years, were fully booked. Coming from a developed country to a third world country always adds an element of shock. It is heart breaking to see the conditions that many still live in, in this beautiful and stunning country. Although the country has a long way to  go in providing equal opportunity, erasing racism, reducing sheer volumes of poverty and unemployment; and overcoming corruption, the process is in place due to the great influence and example set by Mandela and the end of apartheid. It means that my grandchildren will mix with, attend school and make friends with black, white and coloured people. They will continue to build on the legacy that Mandela has provided for them and ensure that Sth Africa becomes as beautiful in nature as it is in its looks!

Nelson also emphasised the role that education can have and as such, we as  teachers can play a big role here as well. Wecan connect them globally. allow them to learn from and with each other, sharing their backgrounds, helping them understand each others cultures and beliefs. Misunderstanding leads to racism and conflict. Education can overcome this.

Thank you Nelson Mandela.