Ambassador’s visit

 

 

On Monday 2nd March, the children, staff and parents welcomed Her Excellency Ms. Priscilla Jana, South African Ambassador to Ireland.

First class welcomed Ambassador Jana with some of the Zulu phrases they had learned and displayed their art project on Bantu symbols from rural South Africa.  Second class preformed mini-dramas on various human rights issues, and one pupil presented his project on the similarities and difference between South Africa and Ireland.  Third and fourth classes had prepared projects on famous South Africans.  The Ambassador questioned them about rugby player Bryan Habana, actress Charlize Theron, singer Miriam Makeba, activist Steve Biko and former president Nelson Mandela.  Fifth and sixth class displayed a range of colourful projects.  Projects on African dress codes, South African music, the Zulus and Madiba (Nelson Mandela’s clan name) caught the Ambassador’s eye.  The junior and senior infants preformed a traditional South African gumboot dance.  On seeing this, the Ambassador said that she felt homesick, and commended the infants on their great energy.  In the school’s support rooms the Ambassador heard details from the children about Tsotsi, the first South African film to win an Oscar, as well as plans for the next World Cup, to be hosted in South Africa next year.  She wished the Irish team almost every success, hoping that they wouldn’t beat the South Africans.

Later, the Ambassador sat down to lunch with the children on the School Council while the older classes and their parents assembled upstairs.  In her address the Ambassador spoke about the importance of valuing diversity.  She also spoke briefly about the dark days of apartheid in South Africa, when diversity was seen as a threat by some.  The children performed three songs for the Ambassador: World in Union, the Toreador and We’re All a Family Under One Sky and, in turn, the Ambassador’s daughter Tina, who attends college in Dublin, sang a traditional Xhosa song.

The visit came about following an invitation from the school’s Board of Management.  The Ambassador’s life story is a fascinating one.  She was a leading human rights lawyer in the South African court system, and represented Nelson Mandela during his imprisonment.  Ms Jana was also elected to parliament for the ANC party.  She was South Africa’s Ambassador to The Hague, before receiving the posting in Dublin. 

The blue, red, black, white, yellow and green of the South African flag will fly outside the school for the rest of the week, in honour of the Ambassador’s visit.