On Ubuntu Day the school was visited by the notable journalist John Battersby and the school received a very warm write up in the Daily Maverick after welcoming him to the community.
The article, 'Ubuntu: Getting to know ourselves through others in the shadow of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela' talks at length about the day.
A visit to the Nelson Mandela International School in Berlin on its annual Ubuntu Day celebration on 21 May 2019 will stay with me for a long time.
It was a humbling and uplifting experience to see the Mandela values of inclusivity, diversity and community service being lived and shared on a daily basis by some 1,500 students from more than 60 countries including some students and teachers from South Africa.
It was a kaleidoscope of colour and activity with a rich tapestry of passion and culture that gives the school the feel of a youthful United Nations.
The bilingual — German and English — state school was founded in 2000 to attract more nationalities to Berlin in line with the German capital’s policy of openness and cultural inclusion.
A facade with larger-than-life images of Mandela’s smiling face spread across the top leads one into a courtyard where on a battery of sewing machines students were creating new patchwork clothes from their own discarded clothes.
The full article can be read in the Daily Maverick here.
