Yvonne Chaka Chaka launches 'Kulila'

FULFILLING a pledge made in 2016 while calling for the enhanced protection of children's rights in Namibia, renowned South African singer Yvonne Chaka Chaka last Friday launched a song recorded with children of Walvis Bay's Sunshine Children's Centre. The song deals with upholding disabled children's right to play, and to demonstrate the many talents of children living with disabilities.

The song, titled 'Kulila', which was written by Gerson Mwatile, a volunteer working with children living with disabilities at the Sunshine Children's Centre, describes the hardships that many people go through when they leave their villages for the city in search of a better life. “It is a song about my life, which many experience,” said Mwatile. Speaking at the launch, Chaka Chaka said the song also embodied the challenges and struggles which children with disabilities go through. “These children have the right to play and reach their full potential. Art and song play a critical role to achieve this,” she noted. The renowned artist then sang powerfully as part of her motivational performance at the event. According to her, very little information is available on children living with disabilities in Namibia. The 2011 population and housing census found that 87% of such children are four years and younger, and have never attended early childhood development programmes. At school-going age, the proportion of children with disabilities who have never attended school is 39%, compared to 16% in households without a disabled child. Out of a total of 132 544 children who receive social grants, 5 545 are children living with disabilities.