Article 30

You have the right to enjoy your own culture, practice your own religion and use your own language

Primary 5 had a fantastic afternoon on Thursday after they received a visit from Lizette Dredge as part of our South Africa topic.

She began by telling us some stories about her life growing up, including how strict her school was.  Lizette explained that some of the rules still exist today such as; if your hair touches your shoulder or longer, it must be tied up at all times; skirts must be no shorter than knee length, but that, thankfully, smacking on the hand with a ruler has now been banned.   One of the most impressive stories that Lizette told us was that at her friends wedding in the Union Buildings in Johannesburg, she had met, shaken hands and spoken to Nelson Mandela!!!

We learned about the gold and diamond miners in South Africa and their unique language – Fanagalo.  It was used because the South African mining industry employed workers from across southern and central Africa: including Congo, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Malawi and Mozambique. With workers originating from a range of countries and having a vast range of different mother tongues, Fanagalo provided a simple way to communicate and is still used.

Then came the best bit – the food tasting.  Thanks to Lizette and her husband we enjoyed a big selection of foods traditional to South Africa such as biltong, droewors (beef and ostrich), rusks, bobotie, mieliepap with a tomato dipping sauce and Koeksisters.

We would like to say a huge thank you to Lizette for giving up her afternoon to spend it and share her experiences with us.