In a convergence of music, history, drama and social studies, students at Breslau Public School are learning about one of the 20th century’s most iconic inspirational figures through a unique and interactive approach.
![Grades 5-8 students at Breslau Public School will perform Mandela: The Musical, the story of Nelson Mandela’s fight against South Africa’s apartheid on May 13 at noon. [Scott Barber / The Observer]](https://www.observerxtra.com/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/post_arts_mandela.jpg)
The debut performance of Mandela: The Musical will take place on Wednesday afternoon, with a group of talented students in Grades 5 through 8 singing and acting out the story of Nelson Mandela’s struggle against apartheid in South Africa. The now-legendary freedom fighter-turned prisoner-turned president died in 2013 at the age of 95.
Busy memorizing their lines, perfecting their pitch and finding the right costumes over the last six weeks, the group will hold a dress rehearsal on May 12 before the official show for families on May 13 at noon.
Written by Breslau Public School music and arts teacher Ann Green, the production covers a lot of ground, as well as some major social and political issues.
“The musical begins in the early days of the African National Congress (A.N.C.) when Mandela is juggling his responsibilities with the organization and his career as a lawyer,” Green explained. “As apartheid, the system of separating people based on race, gains a foothold in South Africa, we see the reactions of the Africans, black South Africans, and Afrikaners, white South Africans, descended from predominantly Dutch settlers. Because Mandela and his friends at the A.N.C. continue to criticize the government about black domination, they are forced to go underground and are eventually captured and put in jail. When Mandela is released 27 years later, he leads the country through volatile times, resulting in the dismantling of apartheid and the first democratic election where Mandela is elected as president. It is a story of perseverance, determination, social justice, hope, and forgiveness.”
With racial conflicts still prevalent across the world – see ongoing protests and riots from Baltimore to Ferguson in the United States – and, yes, here in Canada as well, the symbolism of Mandela remains very relevant, Green added.
“I hope they know the story. I think it’s important that we all know the story because it was such a hopeless situation for so many years and the fact that things could be done to make change is such an important lesson. … It’s a real-world experience for our students and we have been doing things in class that are related to it.”
While it’s a heavy topic for young kids to tackle, Green believes musical theatre makes the subject more accessible than, say, a thick textbook.
“I hope they have a fun experience with the drama and the music as well,” she said. “It’s great for confidence and there’s also a team spirit aspect to being involved. This is a group of kids from Grade 5-8 so they wouldn’t necessarily have an opportunity to build relationships with one another, so that is neat.”
