Dear Stefanie
What a happy day our visit to Cape Town on the 17th June was! A generous donation from Thomas and Steffi Curry and their Lebenslinien e.V. website provided the funding to take some of the children, who participate voluntarily in the Imbali Visual Literacy Project, to see their paintings exhibited at the Bavaria meets Western Cape expo in the Artscape Theatre Centre.
The bus fetched them in Kylemore and they were engulfed in the
beauty of the surrounding snow-capped mountains drenched in sunlight as
they left the Banhoek Valley for Cape Town. The children's excitement
was tangible and, with faces pressed to bus windows, they quickly
gobbled down delicious chocolate 'magic muffins' while absorbing the
passing scenery.
The first stop was to see the new soccer stadium in Green
Point! Everyone was overwhelmed by its hugeness even though the bus
could not get us really close because of the security restrictions
governing visits until after the FIFA World Cup.
Next stop was the Santa Ana Spur at the V&A Waterfront.
They were expecting us and had made an area available where the children
were treated with party-packets and served delicious burgers, chips and
sodas. Everyone took part in coloring in the pages with crayons
provided, clearly impressing the waitresses with the beautiful art
pieces produced! Their creativity was awarded with BIG colourful
balloons - everyone got one!
It was such a beautiful day that we decided to walk to Quay 4
to enjoy the seagulls, the large gregarious seals and the boats in the
harbour. Tourists, here to see the soccer, were caught up in the
excitement and asked the children to pose for photographs. We met our
bus and were taken on a tour of the city to see the coloured lights and
all the trappings and ornamental insignia relating to soccer fever. This
is Cape Town at its very best - dressed in splendor for the FIFA World
Cup. It was a delight to see our clean beautiful city sparkling in
sunlight!
The Artscape was next and the children (some had never been
into a city!) were swamped by the hugeness of the building. They posed
for a photograph on its steps dwarfed by its monumental structure, and
then rushed in to the Marble Foyer to see our Imbali/Lebenslinien stand
at the Bavaria meets Western Cape expo. The child art exhibited
on the walls of this much celebrated Theatre Centre reduced the
children to silence. They were clearly amazed seeing their paintings on
display in this very grand setting!
This exhibition is a tribute to the relentless commitment of
Alexis Hanslo and Leonie Twine of the Children's Art Centre in
Zonnebloem whose outreach to Kylemore provides superb art education to
our little artists. Supported by Lynn Edward's pull-up Imbali banner the
stand was elegant, and visitors to the Expo said it was without doubt
the most colourful and the one they liked best on the show. How
marvelous for the children to have seen their paintings in situ, a
highlight in their lives!
We were all invited to visit other exhibits and were treated
to an impromptu musical performance by 'Brassta la Vista' on the steps
of the Artscape before running for the bus.
We are grateful for having had the opportunity to be part of
and experiencing this much acclaimed Expo - none of which would have
been possible without the generous support of Thomas and Steffi and Lebenslinien e.V..
Thank you for caring, for thinking of us and for making this trip a
reality for the kids on the Imbali Visual Literacy Project. We
remembered the other happy outings we have had with you - to the
Aquarium and to Monkey World - and we missed not having you with us!
Blessings.
Jeanne and all at Imbali
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