Theatre to boost social cohesion on Mandela Day

14 July 2015

 

If you have not yet decided what to do to celebrate the legacy of the late former President Nelson Mandela on his birthday on Saturday 18 July, then the Roodepoort Theatre is the place for you to be.

 

To honour the life and times of the global icon on Mandela Day, the Roodepoort Theatre and Alexander Harvest Time Foundation will stage a “What Can I Do to Make Everyday a Mandela Day” event on the big day. The red carpet will be rolled out and everyone will be treated like a movie star.

 

There will be jumping castles, pony rides, kiddies’ tables and chairs games, face-painting and cup-cake decorating galore to entertain the young ones. For adults, there will be free testing for diabetes, cholesterol, high blood pressure and HIV-Aids in line with the City of Johannesburg’s Healthy Lifestyle Programme championed by Executive Mayor Councillor Parks Tau.

 

Boerewors rolls will also be in abundant supply to bring some cheer into the lives of the less fortunate, says the foundation’s Jill Alexander. She has appealed to kind-hearted Roodepoort residents to donate food and toiletry hampers to brighten the little ones’ day. She says the activities are aimed at building strong relations among people from different cultural backgrounds and fortifying the foundation of a stronger society.

 

The activities will take place on the top section of the Roodepoort Theatre at 100 Christian de Wet Road in Florida Park from 10am.

 

“Mandela Day comes once a year. This is a time when we all need to be a little kinder to our fellow beings and share the little we’ve got so that those not as privileged as us can experience some joy in their lives,” says Alexander.

 

The foundation is a West Rand-based non-governmental organisation that supplies local schools with food and toiletry hampers. The foundation and the theatre say this is their way of showing love and honouring Madiba’s work of fighting to change the world for the better.

 

The South African National Blood Service will have a stand where the public can give the gift of life – blood.

For more information, go to www.roodepoorttheatre.com or call Alexander on (011) 057-2194.