“Our rich and varied cultural heritage has a
profound power to help build our nation.”
Nelson Mandela
 
Riebeek College Girls’ High School annually celebrates Freedom Day with  a Cultural Civvies Day.  The girls dress up in a culture of their choice.  At Riebeek, there is an ethos of tolerance and inclusion fostered by the fact that in our 141 year history the school has been known for nurturing compassion.  Riebeek was also the first Model C school to vote to open its doors to all races in 1990.  This year the theme is Ubuntu and the girls are undertaking a special tribute to Nelson Mandela with a Mandela 100@Riebeek100 acts of kindness campaign. 
 
On 26th April, in the spirit of Ubuntu and in celebration of Freedom Day, learners and staff dressed in a culture of their choosing. The girls and staff looked amazing in their cultural attire. The Cultural Board held a sing-a-long and fashion show in the hall at second break, where the girls got to show off their outfits.  Cultural Board chose some of the outstanding outfits and the crowd chose the winners. The junior winners were: in 1st place, Ganlin Govender dressed to represent Indian culture and in 2nd place, Apelele Mayi, dressed to represent the African culture. The senior winners were: in 1st place, Linathi Stuurman dressed to represent the Indian culture and in 2nd place, Amy Schambril, dressed to represent the Jamaican culture. One could truly feel the sense of Ubuntu throughout the whole day. Special mention of Kiara Jantjies (African), Casey Els (Indian), Katelyn Anderson (Chinese), Lithemba Ngqoamfana (Indian), Tara Wood (Mexican), and to all our teachers, who looked absolutely amazing. Other lovely outfits included Lara Naidoo , Keziah Brandt , Olwethu Dlutu , Naqeesha Koester, Mrs Stear, Phumza Mandla, Ganlin Govender, Charney Minnies, Olwethu Mahlinza, Liyasa Gitywa, Iviwe Majweta, Deenah Dollie,  Lauren Labercensie, Caslynn Sudien, Jeané Swartbooi  But, in fact, every person who dressed up looked stunning!
Thank you to Chulumanco Mayi, Nuraan Kasmed, Liqhawe Nogampula, and all Cultural Board members and Mrs Gerber who organized this event. A special thank you to all the leaners and the parents of the learners for joining us in celebrating this day.