People News
Oprah gives African women hope for the future
By Stone Martindale Jan 2, 2007, 14:23 GMT
US talk show host Oprah Winfrey cries while she holds onto one of the girls who have enrolled in her school during the opening of the school funded by Winfrey in Henley-on-Klip, South Africa, Tuesday 02 January 2007. Some of the guests who attended the opening where, Chris Rock, Mariah Carey and Mary J Blidge EPA/KIM LUDBROOK
JOHANNESBURG, S.A. - American chat show host and entrepreneur Oprah Winfrey, is set to open her new school for girls, offering the poor of South Africa a chance for a better future, and fulfilling a promise made to the former President, Nelson Mandela, six years ago.
Winfrey said that she built the £20.5 million Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, in the small town of Henley-on-Klip, because she was "tired of charity from a distance."
“All I did was write check after check to this or that charity without really feeling like it was a part of me,” she said in the latest issue of Newsweek magazine. “At a certain point, you want to feel that connection.”
To secure a place at the school, 152 girls aged 11 to 12 had to show academic and leadership potential, and prove they were in need and qualified finacially as well.
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if you want to actually make it 'equal', the women need a leg-up more than the men. http://womensnet.org.za/links/genderpr.htm
This is best of all. I realy think this is great opportunity for poor South African girls. and Oprah did an excellent job.
Bayete Indlovukazi, We thank our sister who is sengibuye unomphela (one who has returned) for her generousity towards our youth. We praise Inkosazana Oprah along with other descendants in the Diaspora. We praise the Amadlozi and Mvelinqangi for sending our children back from captivity with prosperity.
GOOD JOB OPRAH!!
Helping humanity regardless where, is beneficial to mankind as a whole. I find it very amusing that there are so many who criticize Oprah, yet how many do nothing but criticize. It is is very easy to stay on the side line and comment negatively when you contribute and do nothing.
keep planting good seed your harvest is coming for you to reap.Be bless what God bless shall no man curse.
I believe that Oprah not only is sexist by not offering the same opportunity to males, but also is the wrong role model for those girls. What she can show then to be in a relatioship out of wedlock. To make your female friend take the place of a man. To state that in order to be a leader you have to have a healthy mind and body. That statemente is so out of contex in Africa. Having so many sick HIV patients and other health conditions. She should be ashamed of saying that. One could be sick but as Dr. Novello said once, I speak with an accent I do not think with an accent. Then I may be sick but my ideas as a leder are not sick.
On the other hand. Any african american that will like to do something about their ancestors should go not where ther press is. But to the places of origin and the ports for shame in Africa. Not to South Africa they hold no 'Connection' to Afro-Americans'
I believe that Oprah not only is sexist by not offering the same opportunity to males, but also is the wrong role model for those girls. What she can show then to be in a relationship out of wedlock. To make your female friend take the place of a man. To state that in order to be a leader you have to have a healthy mind and body. That statement is so out of context in Africa. Having so many sick HIV patients and other health conditions. She should be ashamed of saying that. One could be sick but as Dr. Novello said once, I speak with an accent I do not think with an accent. Then I may be sick but my ideas as a leader are not sick.
On the other hand. Any African American that will like to do something about their ancestors should go not where the press is. But to the places of origin and the ports for shame in Africa. Not to South Africa they hold no 'Connection' to Afro-Americans'
i feel that what oprah did was generous and caring. i would never criticize anyone for making a great difference in the world. she seen what was needed and applied it. i want to say thnk you to her. im a young lady still in school in the united states and like she said many students here mines are not on education and for something is established somewhere it is needed
We need to believe 'equality' means equal, not 'advantaged' or 'entitled'. If someone opened a school that was only for 'whites only' they would be labelled a racist. If someone opened a school for 'boys only' they would be labelled a sexist. If someone opened a school for 'girls only' they get labelled as 'generous and caring', doing an 'excellent job', showing 'generosity towards our youth', 'helping humanity'?!?
Giving one demographic a 'leg up' does not promote equality. If that is what equality means to you, then you need to read your dictionary again. Advantage does not = equality, no matter what propaganda you are fed.
Misandry is no better than misogyny, both are bad and should not be acceptable in any society, let alone praised as doing good. You should be ashamed of yourself for praising someone who shows very misandrist attitudes. http: //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misandry
The racist and gender-centric arguments I've read here are nothing compared to the underlying economic opportunity issues. Let me briefly explain...
152 girls are going to get the educational opportunity of the millennium. I loudly cheer them for earning such an honor. It is no stretch to say that they will receive an absolutely world-class education. I suspect a good number of them will make a positive impact on African society in the years to come.
In order to accomplish this noble goal, Miss Winfrey has already spent US$42 million. By Western standards, that sounds - if not reasonable - at least excusably lavish. She's worth US, after all. But just run the math for a moment:
US$42 million is, in this case, nearly US$2.8 million dollars... PER STUDENT. Let that sink in for a moment. I know, the defenders are already crying that it's not really that much per student since a) more students will be added each year; b) this is an infrastructure investment, not operational expense; c) you have to amortize that investment out over the lifetime of the school and the tenure of the students (probably 6 years before university.) I'll indulge the defenders and cut the figures by an order of magnitude, shall we say US$280,000 per student? And taking into account the six-year tenure, say US$47,000 per year? Would that be fair?
OK, if we're still nodding our heads, I would simply ask what US$47,000 - per year - could do for education in South Africa. I'm not familiar with the cost of living in SA, but I will hazard a guess that you can vastly improve education of a lot of children for that kind of money. Here in Texas, I send my 3 children to a small private school. It costs me about US$10,000 per year which - I will admit - is an amazing bargain in this country. This little school does not have the latest in technology, but they have much. They graduate 100% to world-class universities and military academies. At our school, US$47,000 would provide education for 16 children.
South Africa, I congratulate you. America's Elite has now given you your own academy of the elite. I pray you'll have your chance to harness the resources of another Oprah - one who is not so elitist - who will lift up another generation of perhaps more humble, but no less deserving, scholars. With vision and humility, US$42 million could be transformational for the futures of thousands and thousands and thousands of African children.
Oh, and Oprah? If there's any pocket-change left after this project of yours, our school would love to do a few software upgrades in the language and media labs. We can stretch your dollars pretty far, what with non-profit discounts, and all...
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jenJan 2nd, 2007 - 15:14:14
Why only offer an education to half the population, bit sexist if you ask me
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