LEDI Language Festival

The second annual LEDI festival took place on this morning, Friday 8 July. LEDI stands for Lingual Expansion of Diversity and Inclusion. The purpose of this project is to celebrate all the official languages of South Africa, and subsequently celebrate the diversity of cultures and heritage of our nation. The inspiration for this initiative are the words of Nelson Mandela - “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.” In this spirit, the LEDI festival aims to generate a school space where our students and staff are able to participate in the multiplicity of our cultural and lingual experiences, and appreciate the many forms of artistic expression that are intrinsic to cultures and languages.

Several cultural activities in multiple languages were performed throughout the day. This included performances by the renowned WITS Choir, slam poetry recitals, and demonstrations of dances from different cultural contexts, such as Tswana traditional, Pantsula, Gumboot, and African Fusion. Adding to this, were supporting musical performances by our own ensembles. As part of the experience, South African treats such as shisa nyama and kotas, were sold to the very long queues of eager College boys. The atmosphere of the festival was magical and underscored the energy that the diversity of our cultural identities can bring to our daily experiences. The morning was an incredible showcase of the extraordinary cultural feats that accompany the rich diversity of languages, culture, and heritage in South Africa.

We thank the members of the LEDI Committee who organised the day, as well as the vendors and performers who helped show our boys the vast array of wonderful food and artistic endeavours that accompany different languages and cultures.