African artists pledge support for World Kindness Day Africa event

The event will be hosted by veteran South African musician and humanitarian Yvonne Chaka Chaka via Zoom and Facebook at 4pm CAT. It will feature appearances from a number of well-known local artists including Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse, Pops Mohammed, members of Amajika Arts, and other artists who collaborated on the ‘Kindness Contagion’ song and music video last year.

In addition to contributions from the artists, the event will include presentations around kindness from some of the organisations who have taken the Organisational Kindness Pledge and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), a musical performance of the ‘Kindness Contagion’ song from Los Angeles, a panel on the role of African wildlife and animals in kindness, announcements of kindness projects for 2022, and a keynote address on the importance of kindness by Chaka Chaka.

The event will provide space for a robust discussion about the way forward to answer the question: What can we do to spread a contagion of kindness from Africa to itself and around the world?

“Kindness is synonymous with the South African term ubuntu. Ubuntu signifies emphatically that ‘the life of another person is at least as valuable as one's own’ and it is from this very principle of ubuntu that Constitution Hill pledges to promote kindness,” Constitution Hill heritage, education and tourism manager Reuben Phasha said.

In preparation for the event, over twenty African organisations have taken the organisational Kindness Pledge, including Constitution Hill, Trade Union for Musicians of South Africa, Newmont Mining, the Public Speakers Association of Southern Africa, Business Engage Africa, Coface South Africa, Growthspire, Wildlife Direct, Animation SA, Music in Africa, Champion South Africa, Neptun Boots, the Princess of Africa Foundation, Amajika Arts, Africa Unite, SITE Africa and Menther, among others.

Organisations wishing to take the pledge can email [email protected]. Individuals wishing to take the Individual Kindness Pledge should register here.