Oprah Winfrey attentds on art festival at her SAfrican school

Oprah Winfrey says she had a great dream for the poor girls attending the school she established in South Africa is coming true.The talk-show host spoke to The Associated Press on Friday after watching some pupils put on a show at the end of the school's annual arts festival.The festival included dance classes, photography workshops, and even cooking sessions with Art Smith, Winfrey's former personal chef.

Oprah Winfrey sat rapt Friday in the front row of the state-of-the-art theater during a show put on by the poor girls she has built an exclusive school for.The talk show host clapped enthusiastically, tapped her foot during a musical item and had a warm hug for one young girl who recited an essay she wrote describing her broken poverty-stricken family and her desire to win a Nobel Peace Prize.
"I am moved by the stories," Winfrey told The Associated Press at the end of the school's annual week long arts festival. "When you think about these little girls three years ago carrying buckets of water on their heads and (living) with no running water. Now they are talking about going to Harvard and winning a Nobel Peace Prize.

"I am moved by the fact that I have a vision for them and it now feels like they have embodied that vision for themselves. They are living the dream," she said.

The girls were treated to acting classes by British actress Thandie Newton and learnt about art and design from Greg Lauren, nephew of American fashion designer Ralph.British actress Thandie Newton was one of the instructors at the week long festival, in which the girls take part in acting, photography and fashion design workshops.
Winfrey said she was overwhelmed by the talent of the girls and that they were "living the vision" she had for them.

"Their tenacity, their enthusiasm, their ability has just surpassed all of my expectations, I have had an amazing time," she said.

During the week's festivities, the girls got a chance to show their rhythm in rap classes with a popular South African musician and learnt the art of storytelling from the legendary African storyteller Gcina Mhlope.

In the finale of Friday's ceremony, the audience cheered when a group of girls donned Wellington boots for a raucous performance of gumboot dancing. Gumboot dancing — where performers rhythmically slap and stamp their feet — is a form of dance made popular by workers at South Africa's many mines.

The lavish $40 million Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, outside Johannesburg was opened in January 2007. It is the fulfillment of a promise she made to Nelson Mandela and aims to give girls from deprived backgrounds a quality education in a country where schools are struggling to overcome the legacy of apartheid.
The school is spread across a 22-acre campus with neat lawns and garden paths decorated with mosaics. It has computer and science labs, a library and a wellness center.The school is home to about 300 girls from across the country. They each live in two-bedroom suites — a far cry from their humble surroundings at home. In one dormitory lounge.