"I walked past my school again, it was on rue Saint Jacques, and I cried a little bit, that's where I grew up. It's very funny because it was in Paris that I learned to love my country, which is Algeria, and Egypt, and music, and the Arab world."

"Babette Brown came to the UK after she was forced into political exile due to her opposition to Apartheid. The author of several books on early learning and child development, at the age of 70, she went on to found Persona Dolls, making dolls of many different ethnicities and types, who would tell their stories through a teacher. Children were then encouraged to offer advice and solutions to the experiences a doll describes. This practical and non-threatening approach to dealing with difficult issues has proved especially effective with children. Her charity, established in the 2000s, produce the dolls in South Africa. Thousands of teachers globally are now trained to use the Persona Dolls approach."

"Although she didn’t win we were very satisfied, simply with the nomination, and we happily relaxed with another glass of wine content that Babette would have been so proud that her anti-racist work with young children, through Persona Doll Training, was being acknowledged.""

""Just as the nominations for all the categories were finished to our utter astonishment Babette’s face filled the screen again and it was announced that she had WON a special CHAIRMAN’S AWARD for her work with Persona Doll Training. Shocked, my brother, Peter Brown and I approached the stage to collect her award."

"While teaching again, Brown soon realised that the same racism that she had fought in her home country was also prevalent in the UK. This was the awakening of a new goal – to fight the racism, sexism, and classism that was deeply entrenched in the British education system and wider society."

"So many of us have loved her dearly, been inspired by her virtues, benefited from her friendship, kindness and generosity, and regarded her as a trailblazer in so many things – her stand against apartheid, racism and injustice of all kinds; her service to education and gender rights; her compassion for humanity. She is in our hearts and thoughts and will be remembered as a fine human being as a very dear friend."

"As Cameroon bids farewell to this extraordinary woman, the legacy of Barrister Mrs Weledji Miriam will continue to inspire generations of legal professionals and advocates for gender equality."

"In her personal life, Mami Weledji was a loving mother to five sons and one daughter, leaving behind a family that reflects her strength, resilience, and commitment to excellence."

"A force to be reckoned with, Mami Weledji was not only a legal luminary but also a business magnate and real estate giant. Her notable investment, the HOLIDAY INN RESORT in Limbe, stands as a testament to her entrepreneurial acumen."

"When I work I see the picture and my hand will go over the wool and I know where I will have the image. Sometimes I change it again and take out all the wool, start over till I am happy with it. It is a slow process, for painters it must be easier."

"These animals are markers of economic wellbeing and serve as spiritual links with the ancestors."

"In her tapestries she gets in touch with her memories of the numerous Zulu folktales that spoke, through granny’s voice, of times immemorial. She uses no premeditated composition or logical storyline. Scenes get mixed up or flow into one overall vision that triggers the spirit of fantasy."

"I followed my intuition and started to learn all kinds of art techniques to assist the patients by art therapy. Weaving I liked best. I felt very little satisfaction when following fixed patterns or working out of the themes that teachers provided me with. I could feel that was not my thing."

"A passionate and determined advocate for social justice, Zanana Akande made history in Canada as the first Black woman to serve as a cabinet minister."

"As an educator and community-builder in Toronto, she has dedicated her career to the well-being of others, particularly those in marginalized communities."

"Today, for her tireless leadership in public service and her fearless advocacy for equity and diversity, Akande will receive a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, from the University of Toronto."

"It becomes more possible to elect another Black person, so that it seems not that exceptional."

"Change is not always welcomed. The default position for many of the people in government is white male."

"I felt I could do more on the outside, which I continued to do working for long-term care and integrated services for children."

"“She has spanned the horizon of both painting locally and painting globally.”"

"One of the most famous artists in South Africa, Mahlangu is a living tourist attraction, although visitors are few and far between in this far-flung village, two hours’ drive from the nearest city. And she is indisputably the most honoured gogo – Zulu for grandmother – of the Ndebele who remain in the Mpumalanga homelands."

"“I am very proud of her,” says her son, William. “She is our queen, queen of Ndebele, and our happy mascot.”"

"“Esther is the person who has taken the local art of design and painting in the Ndebela region and [brought] it to a global context,”"

"Esther Mahlangu has worked tirelessly exposing and developing her talent travelling around the world, and she is very passionate about sharing her knowledge with the younger generation so that she leaves a legacy that lives on for generations to come."

"“Since being a young child, Esther had a will to paint,”"

""The art is practiced almost entirely by women, likely passed down when girls became adolescents. Esther couldn’t wait. (She was born an artist),”"

"“She was trying to blend tradition with modernity, so while there is a family trajectory there, it was also her and her generation who took this one step further, making this now-recognized Ndebele contribution to contemporary art,”"

"“Being recognized at home is such a blessing. It shows that my people still see the great work that I do,”"

""As an artist, her ...composition is more compact, more engaging and complex than that of her contemporaries, the borders more complicated. She has a tendency to frame her pattern motifs.”"

"Her works are in major private collections including that of The Contemporary African Art Collection (CAAC) of Jean Pigozzi and in many Western museums. Despite being an internationally recognized artist, Esther Mahlangu still presently lives in her village in close and constant contact with her culture."

"“I love to paint and have been doing it my whole life. I will paint anything, as long as there’s a benefit where my culture can be preserved, where somebody growing up can value and never forget their Ndebele roots.”"

"“As children grow up today, they’re losing their culture. I don’t want my culture to die. That’s why I teach children Ndebele art. They must know their culture and where they come from.”"

"Mahlangu follows a local tradition through which this particular type of painting technique is handed down in the family, communicated, learned and transmitted only by women (in the past)"

"“It’s somewhat problematic when looking at South African art and Western art—with mostly Western art taking and African art giving. The way that African art was appropriated is more of a taker’s attitude. I want to see the art history written that pays as much tribute to the originality of this South African heritage that we also see in Mahlangu’s art as to Keith Haring.”"

"“What many find interesting about my artworks is that although they are based on traditional Ndebele designs, they are still very modern and current. They can fit into a home or office anywhere in the world and don’t appear dated.”"

"“When looking at a Ndebele mural, people get a smile of amazement on their faces. And if they watch me paint, they can’t believe that I don’t use a ruler to paint the lines, and that my hand is so steady, even at my age. If people see the bright colors, they are happy. And it makes me happy as well, as I love to paint; it is in my heart and in my blood.”"

"“To paint is in my heart and in my blood,”"

"“When you get married, you paint your first house. It’s very important to have straight lines and not zigzag lines because your family members will come and look. If your lines are perfectly straight, then you are a very good wife and can look after your family.”"

"“In the old days, the decoration on the houses was always done with natural pigment and cow dung as that was the only material available,”"

"“I always watched my mother and grandmother when they were decorating the house,”"

"“The original patterns that were painted on the houses in the past were part of a ritual of Ndebele people to announce events like a birth, death, wedding, or when a boy goes off to the initiation school. I started painting on canvas and board as I realized not everybody will be able to see the Ndebele painting in Mpumalanga where I live, and I felt I need to take it to them to see. This is how my work started to be exhibited in museums and galleries around the world.”"

"Cashdan, Marina (23 September 2016). "Esther Mahlangu Is Keeping Africa's Ndebele Painting Alive". Artsy. Retrieved 24 March 2025."

"“Every single afternoon when they went to have a nap, I’d try to paint. I got into trouble every day until eventually they realized that in my heart I wanted to paint.”"

"“Our young people don’t wear the clothes or respect their forefathers, the girls have hair extensions and wear western clothes. This does not make me feel comfortable. They are vandalising our traditions. This is why I talk to them, try to motivate them with my travels and teach them too about Aids.”"

"This culture must not die. Our young people are vandalising our traditions. This is why I try to motivate them"

""I love to travel, but I love most to come home again. It makes me happy if people like Ndebele art.”"

"“Ndebele art is naturally grandiose in form and only needed the concept of motion added.”"

"“I want them to take away a sense of excitement, a sense of how vibrant the arts are in Africa,”"

"Both of my parents were interested in politics, but it was really my father who encouraged us from a very young age to watch the news and consider why certain decisions were being made."