Actress and storyteller Desiree Namachotsa, who played roles in notable films such as School Days, and Fatsani: A Tale of Survival is among the recipients of the Trevor Noah Foundation grant.
Namachotsa has earned herself the grant to implement a project and help more students in the country bridge the gap between westernised literature and their own experiences by using theatre
The actress, who got space in the third cohort of the Young African Leaders Initiative (Yali) Education Changemakers Programme, joins fellow creative Vera Mlia Sheriff, who also got a grant during cohort one in 2020.
Namachotsa was among four young leaders, who represented the country recently in South Africa in the third cohort which included 50 leaders in total from 14 countries across Southern Africa.
“Students will not be forced to read anymore as they will be so excited to read the book so that they can perform,” she said Monday.
She said she was grateful that the Trevor Noah Foundation has given her the opportunity to help students through the Book connect.
“I use damaged clothes, bedsheets and curtains that can be used for making costumes of students to learn literature,” Namatchotsa said.
She said she uses this not just for plays but also other arts such as poetry, dance.
Mlia Sheriff, who recently delivered a keynote address in South Africa when the Education Changemakers programme launched its third cohort at the University of South Africa Graduate School for Business Leadership in Midrand heaped praise on Namachotsa for her exceptional work in using theatre and costume designing to help her students understand and relate with Western literature better thereby improving their grades.
As the recipient of the grant from the first cohort, Mlia Sheriff also benefitted from a business coaching from Trevor Noah Foundation that helped her develop her Toon Notebook.
