Photos by Laura Elam
FunTimes Magazine & City School Presented the Black History Month Celebration Finale
The Mlanjeni Magical Theater performed a spectacular interactive magic show — featuring stories about the history of African-American trains, acts of illusion, puppets, folk music and dance — for elementary-school students to close The City School’s lower-school curriculum celebrating heritage and culture during Black History Month in Philadelphia’s Fairmount section on February 28th.
It was part of an event sponsored by FunTimes, which supports community educational initiatives for children and youth. The performance engaged pre-K to fourth-grade students in the traditional art of African folk storytelling theater known as “muungamano.” The magic show featured the role that trains played in African-American history, including a “Camel Train” in ancient Mali, the enslavement “Chattel Train” & “Freedom train” in the Underground Railroad. T he Amazing Mr. Q. (Marquez Efferson), a magician-puppeteer-comic, performed to the delight of the students.
Joining the Mlanjeni Magical Theater group were The City School Principal Africa Jones, about 60 students, teachers and parents. The event was covered by three local TV stations, including a live broadcast in which FunTimes Publisher Dr. Eric Nzeribe, The City School Principal Jones and various students were interviewed about their creative Black History Month projects. FunTimes provided the entertainment by the Mlanjeni Magical Theater
The City School is a Christian school in two locations comprising lower and upper schools, serving 430 students, from pre-k to grade 12, in the Greater Philadelphia area.
