Good News

BULLETIN 29 November

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# Award-winning South African film director Ian Gabriel’s political thriller, Death of a Whistleblower, is the opening night film of the 32nd African Diaspora International Film Festival in New York today. The film starring Rob van Vuuren and Noxolo Dlamini is set against the backdrop of a dangerous conspiracy involving military corruption and illicit arms trafficking. The film is part of an eclectic programme of 65 films including 12 from South Africa that will be featured on the festival.

# 67 Blankets for Nelson Mandela Day is calling on South Africans to create the largest happy blanket ever. This project will see contributors working together to produce blankets that form a massive single one. The standout centrepiece will be a vibrant yellow smiley emoji with blue eyes and a red smile set against a background of multicoloured stripes. The non-profit organisation says a spectacular blanket installation will be at Nelson Mandela University on the 20th of March in celebration of the United Nations’ International Day of Happiness.

# Camphill Village West Coast in Cape Town is gearing up to host an International Disability Awareness Sports Day to celebrate inclusivity and fun. The sixth of December will see participants, including teams from Hout Bay United Football Community and the City of Cape Town Football Club Deaf Society Outreach, compete in games like relay races, soccer, netball, volleyball, and dance. The event forms part of initiatives aimed at commemorating International Day of Persons with Disability.

# Jon Batiste, Trombone Shorty, Lauren Daigle, and Ledisi will headline the Super Bowl pre-game show at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on the ninth of February next year. Batiste will sing the American anthem and Shorty will perform America the Beautiful with Lauren Daigle. Ledisi will perform Lift Every Voice and Sing. Kendrick Lamar will headline the official Super Bowl halftime show. NFL head of music, Seth Dudowsky, says this year’s performers will bring the energy, soul, and vibrant sounds of New Orleans to a global stage.

# And finally: French president Emmanuel Macron will today lead a televised tour of the newly restored Notre-Dame, to mark the cathedral’s reopening next Saturday. The iconic cathedral in Paris was damaged by a fire in 2019. An estimated two-thousand people including carpenters, art experts, sculptors and engineers worked on the project. Macron and Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich, will kick off a programme of ceremonies that culminates with an official public entry into the cathedral next Saturday and the first Catholic Mass the next day.

Stay tuned for more news………….