Magicians Without Borders in Cape Town

January 15, 2020 | Featured News,Magic Service Trips,South Africa

“Our children are our greatest treasure.
They are our future.”
Neslson Mandela

We just finished our Magic Service Trip to Cape Town, South Africa traveling with a group of magicians from The Yale Magic Society (YMS), two magicians from the UCLA Magic Club and a magician from Hollywood and one from NYC.

We have travelled with magicians from the YMS during their January semester break for the past four years. We travel to countries where we have programs teaching magic to very poor children –we have gone to India, Costa Rica and Colombia and this year we are in South Africa. For the past ten days, we have been doing shows in orphanages, in homes for orphan children with AIDS, in a Cancer Hospital for children, in Community Centers and in other places that need a bit of love, laughter magic and hope.

We have also spent hours working with our new young magicians from a very poor, gang-infested township. They have been learning magic for the past six months under the guidance of a wonderful, dedicated Cape Town magician, Jacques Le Seuer. Learning, practicing and performing magic helps our young magicians around the world develop confidence, focus, discipline and self-esteem. Over the last 15 years, we have seen as they continue to learn, that dreams begin to awaken and these young magicians start to imagine the impossible is possible in their lives.

Each of our magicians paired up each with one of Jacques’ students and together they collaborated to create an amazing Magic Show which they performed in the world famous Cape Town College of Magic’s theater. The audience responded with laughter and tears, wonder and surprise at this delightful and deeply moving show. The young magicians beamed with pride as they took their bows to the enthusiastic applause of the audience. We provided transportation for the parents and families of our young magicians–the families were amazed at what they saw their children do that night. It was truly magic!

One of the mother’s said to me, “Jacque and Magic have changed Seeco’s life. He use to be shy and scared all the time. Now he talks and laughs and is a different kid. I am so thankful for the wonderful work you are doing. God bless you” The magic is alive and continues to make the impossible possible.

We also took time to make a pilgrimage to Robben Island to visit the cell where Nelson Mandela spent all those years in prison -we were shown through the prison by an ex-political prisoner who was imprisoned there with Mandela. A most moving, sad, and inspiring day.