It’s a melodic celebration! 67 Blankets for
Nelson Mandela Day invites audiences to join the party at the Linder Auditorium
on January 27, 2019, when the Mozart for Mandela event will see hundreds of
“KnitWits for Mandela” embarking on their fifth Guinness World Record attempt
in five years. This is to get the most people crocheting in one place
simultaneously.
This auspicious day marks not only the
birthday of Mozart (born in 1756), but also the fifth birthday of the 67
Blankets initiative, which has won several awards and smashed world records in
its desire to continue Madiba’s legacy by keeping thousands of people around
the world warm.
“Beautiful music for a beautiful cause,
conducted by Maestro Richard Cock - what more could we ask for as a fifth
birthday present?” says Carolyn Steyn, founder of the 67 Blankets initiative.
“In the year following the centenary of
Madiba’s birth, we are honoured to be continuing with our knitting revolution
in his name. 67 Blankets has exceeded our wildest expectations, galvanising communities
and bringing joy, hope and comfort to thousands of people around the world. We
can’t wait to toast our fifth birthday with yet another world record attempt to
the beautiful strains of Mozart!”
Adds Yase Godlo, the Nelson Mandela
Foundation’s Mandela Day and outreach manager: “We are thrilled to again be
partnering with the 67 Blankets initiative, which continues to touch so many
lives through the sterling work it does to propagate Madiba’s legacy and live
his values of compassion and empathy. As they enter their fifth year and fifth
world record attempt, we wish the ‘KnitWits’ well as they again set out to make
a concrete difference, stitch by stitch.”
To mark this special occasion, 67 Blankets invited
people to bring their crochet hook and crocheting (and their love of classical
music) to the Linder Auditorium in Johannesburg on the day, as together South
Africa’s KnitWits set out to crochet away for at least 27 minutes in a bid to
clinch yet another world record to add to their arsenal.
When the cymbals clang, everyone has to
begin crocheting within the allotted time which is 27 minutes – a minute for
every year that Nelson Mandela was imprisoned.
While the KnitWits are crocheting up a
storm, maestro Richard Cock will be conducting musicians in performing a
selection of exquisite Mozart works to ensure the record attempt is music to
all participants’ ears.
This includes Elize Kruger playing one
movement of a Mozart piano sonata, a string quartet performing Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and a marimba
band adding to the Mozart- and Madiba-inspired merriment.
Richard Cock adds “The Johannesburg
International Mozart Festival is extremely excited about teaming up with 67
Blankets for this World Record attempt. JIMF loves getting involved in
different things, and when we discovered the synergy between JIMF’s birthday,
Mozart’s birthday AND 67 Blankets’ birthday, we just couldn’t resist. We are so
looking forward to all the cro(t)cheting on the 27th, and to bringing Mozart’s
music to a whole new audience!”
Participation is free, but 67 Blankets
requests participants to bring along cans of non-perishable food to benefit
students in need at Wits University. The university is donating the use of the
Linder Auditorium on the day, and this donation to the Wits Food Programme is
the 67 Blankets founders’ and ambassadors’ and Johannesburg Mozart Festival’s
way of expressing their gratitude while helping to ensure that young people are
able to study with dignity.
The Wits Citizenship and Community Outreach
(WCCO) office operates the Wits Food Programme, which is an institutional
response to food insecurity among students at Wits.
The Wits Food Programme is made up of
several projects including the: Wits Food Bank, which offers quick relief by
distributing food parcels to students. Food parcels comprise non-perishable food
items such as peanut butter, tin foods, rice, pasta, noodles, mielie meal etc.
The items are acquired through donations from staff, students, public and
corporate donations.
For more information see www.67blankets.co.za
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