Oprah Winfrey, the American “queen of television talk shows” and philanthropist, opened her prestigious girls-only school on January 2 2007 as a fulfilment of the promise she made to her hero, former president Nelson Mandela in December 2000. Mandela was the guest of honour.
Called the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, the facility is built on 21ha of land in the serene residential environment of Henley-on-Klip in Meyerton, south of Gauteng.
Winfrey said the academy is closest to her heart and so she was involved in every little aspect of it, from conception to completion.
“I have chosen every tile, spoon and just about anything to ensure that everything around the school exudes beauty. If you are surrounded by beautiful things, they bring out the beauty in you, no matter your background,” she said.
An array of renowned international actors and personalities added a special zest to the opening. These included musicians Tina Turner, Mariah Carey, India.Arie, Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson and Bebe Winans, as well as screen stars Sydney Poitier and Spike Lee and comedians Chris Rock and Chris Tucker.
The first African woman Nobel Laureate, Wangari Maathai, from Kenya, local businessman Tokyo Sexwale and Patrice Motsepe and his wife also graced the occasion.
Only 152 girls from an initial 5 500 applicants made the grade, having gone through a rigorous selection process in which Winfrey was personally involved.
“When I started I said I needed girls who have ‘it’. These were the girls who showed that spark and yearning to succeed despite their poor background,” she said.
The academy boasts a self-contained campus with 28 buildings housing state-of-the-art classrooms, computer and science laboratories, a library, theatre, gymnasium and sports fields, wellness centre, dormitories and dining hall.
Winfrey said this set-up would create the right atmosphere for the girls to perform to their maximum potential.
Architectural features, paintings and the general aesthetics have been inspired by African themes. Winfrey said the academy would follow the South African curriculum but that this would be expanded, because they want to produce learners who would be “citizens of the globe”.
The curriculum includes maths, natural science and technology, arts and culture, social, economic and management sciences, life orientation and leadership and languages.
The school has 16 South African teachers under the leadership of Joan Countryman. The number is set to grow as 75 more girls enrol every year. This means the school will have 450 learners in grades 7 to 12.
Winfrey will build a house for herself within the school precinct to maintain close contact with her pet project. Teachers will also reside in dormitories based at the school.
In their addresses, Mandela, Education Minister Naledi Pandor and her Gauteng provincial counterpart, Angie Motshekga, all expressed gratitude and support for the academy.
Winfrey intends opening a co-educational school in KwaZulu-Natal by the end of this year.