Dancing for the Day of the African Child

For more information about the tour, contact Karolina or Cecilia at 061- 254915.

The OYO Dance Troupe, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has embarking on a two-week tour to celebrate the Day of the African Child. They intend to visit 27 schools and six communities, raising awareness about the rights of children. The tour started on Wednesday and will continue until 18 June.
The OYO Dance Troupe was created in 2008, gaining its first international recognition this year when invited to perform at the Commonwealth youth dance festival in Glasgow later this month. They leave for the UK on 28 June.

But before they leave they will visit the Omusati, Oshana and Otjozondjupa regions performing ‘When The Tides Turn’ by Jen Irons, a play that investigated various nuances of stigma and discrimination. During this tour they will also perform ‘Erotica?’, on abstinence and peer pressure, and ‘He Loved Me’, on gender violence, both by Philippe Talavera.
On 16 June every year, the African Union and its partners celebrate the Day of the African Child, in commemoration of the 1976 protests by school children in Soweto, South Africa. The students protested against an education system designed to further the purpose of the apartheid regime.
The 1976 school protests marked the beginning of civil resistance at grassroots level which contributed to the eventual collapse of the apartheid regime.
The Day of the African Child presents an opportunity for all stakeholders on children’s rights, including government, non-governmental and international organisations to reflect on issues affecting children in the SADC region.
 This day is an opportunity to take stock of the progress made and the outstanding challenges of the full realisation of the rights of children in every member country.
This year’s theme is ‘child friendly, quality free and compulsory education for all children in Africa’.
The OYO troupe said this week Namibia has achieved a lot in terms of free and compulsory education particularly in Primary School and has a good enrollment record compared to other African countries. However more can be done regarding child friendly education, particularly on sensitive topics such as HIV/Aids and gender violence, therefore this is the purpose of their tour.