Education Africa’s Renowned International Arts & Culture Project Marimba Tour Lands in London, UK

Ten talented young musicians from Johannesburg’s schools and orphanages who attend the John Wesley Community centre are touring the UK from February 25th – March 4th as part of the International Arts & Culture Project delivered by South African charity Education Africa. Final few tickets available for their performance on Tuesday March 3rd at Shaka Zulu in Camden Lock.

London, UK. Education Africa’s 2015 Marimba Tour landed on UK shores this week when a cohort of ten South African performers ranging from aged 10 - 13 from the John Wesley Community Centre Marimba Hub in Alexandra Township, Johannesburg, touched down at London’s Heathrow Airport to begin their 7 day tour of the capital.

The performers, who will play 4 dates during their tour, as well as visiting UK schools (including Lambrook School, who are generously hosting the children) and seeing the cultural sights of London, have been selected for the tour based on academic merit and musical prowess, reflecting continued effort and commitment to the Marimba Hub project on an after-school, voluntary basis.

The John Wesley Community Centre Marimba Hub is one of a number supported by Education Africa’s International Arts and Culture Project. This project aims at providing opportunities for learners in impoverished, underprivileged communities to go on an Arts & Culture tour to experience different cultures, countries and languages. It gives the learners an opportunity to perform in front of a global audience, which many have described as being “the opportunity of a lifetime”.

Teaching music in schools is a costly exercise. Teachers need to be qualified, instruments are expensive and a number of instruments require one-on-one tuition. It can take years for budding musicians to become fairly accomplished. This in itself excludes many children, especially in the rural areas. Yet music remains inextricably linked to culture and should form part of a child’s holistic education.

The International Arts & Culture Project and the Marimba Hubs, are a response to this need. The establishment of Marimba Hubs creates job opportunities as a number of potential marimba facilitators are trained in each hub, with several will be chosen to train learners from the surrounding community in the art of playing marimbas. Education Africa identifies and visits target communities, conducts teacher workshops, obtains sponsorship for the provision of instruments and equipment, and undertakes regular follow-up visits to these communities to ensure that the objectives for the project are met.

Education Africa facilitates tours such as this one with the assistance of international contacts; in this case the UK registered Friends of Education Africa. Sarah Roe, Founder and Director of Global Career Company is Vice-Chair of the Friends of Education Africa,

“One of the biggest challenges faced by the South African education system is how to keep children occupied after school hours. Unlike the UK, South African children finish school at around 2pm and the majority do not have parents or carers around until the evening if at all. Unfortunately this far too often results in children following the wrong path and sees a high prevalence of teenage pregnancy, HIV Aids, drug abuse, crime and underage drinking.

The Marimba Hubs address these issues by giving those children a focus for their time after school in a safe community environment where they can channel their energies into something amazingly positive. And its not just about the music…marimba playing has an incredible power to change people and communities through the promotion of personal growth, group identity and self-expression. The impact that the Marimba Hubs have on the children and communities that they touch cannot be underestimated”

 The 2015 UK Tour has been more than a year in the planning, and the last available tickets are now left for their final performance at :

Shaka Zulu, Camden Lock. Tuesday March 3rd, 7.30pm

To catch this performance by these truly talented and inspiring young musicians while you can, contact Sarah Roe at roe@globalcc.net. The proceeds of donations to the Tour go directly to Education Africa, funding both this project and a number of other education initiatives targeting the alleviation of poverty in Southern Africa. You can find out more about Education Africa and its work at www.educationafrica.org.

About Education Africa

Education Africa is a non-profit organisation with a proud track record of successful delivery on its thriving projects through which it strives to reach and uplift the poorest of the poor. We aim to assist disadvantaged South Africans in their quest to obtain a quality, relevant education in order to ensure that they are in a position to become global citizens and a competitive, productive element in the local job market.

Education Africa’s head office is based in Johannesburg, South Africa. The charity has registered self-sustainable offices in the USA, in the UK and in Austria. Their purpose is to assist Education Africa South Africa in achieving its mission.

Education Africa delivers economy-focused education while assisting those most in need with opportunities to improve their access to relevant education, thus enabling them to participate fully in the global economy.  With the continued help and support of our dedicated volunteers and sponsors, we can continue to fulfil our mission statement: to deliver relevant, quality education to the poorest of the poor.

You can find out more about Education Africa and its work at www.educationafrica.org.

About Global Career Company

Global Career Company is a specialist recruitment consultancy focused on recruiting excellence for Africa. Established more than 12 years ago, the Company delivers a range of recruitment services through a diverse team of sector and market specialists and a range of well-known regional brands, including the highly successful Careers in Africa and Careers in Maghreb initiatives. At the heart of our solution is the Global Career Company 365 Global Talent Pool, an environment for recruiting high-calibre and high-potential African talent from locations around the world, encompassing all local, regional and international markets. By maintaining relationships with key partners worldwide, by building on a track record of credibility through successful outcomes for clients and candidates, by continuing to extend our leadership of knowledge in this market and by offering excellence across a diverse mix of industry, function and market requirements, we have become, and will remain, the consultancy of choice for more than 550 leading employers across Africa.

You can find out more about Global Career Company at www.globalcareercompany.com.