mission

The SOMAFCO Educational Tour started in 2008 when the SOMAFCO Trust, then known as SOMAFCO X, mobilised resources for a journey which its then media partner, City Press, described as a “ journey of reconciliation”. The objective then was to reconnect with a “ little corner of South Africa” which was home to many young and old South Africans who fled persecution from the apartheid regime to nonetheless contribute to the struggle for freedom. More importantly, the objective was to expose a South African heritage which belongs to South Africans and the solidarity movement to young people in particular thus preserving and promoting this history.

Through the support of the Independent Development Trust ( IDT), the SOMAFCO Trust has been able to annualize the educational Tour and renamed it the O.R.Tambo Educational Tour in memory and homage to the late Oliver Reginald Tambo without whom, Mazimbu may not have developed to its full extent.

How to participate

To participate, the SOMAFCO Trust puts out, typically through public media, radio and newspapers, an advert calling for essays on topics selected by the SOMAFCO Trust. The topics usually relate to issues affecting young people. The competition is open to youth from across the country and essays are independently adjudicated.

Winners are publicly announced and they win an all expenses paid educational Tour to Tanzania.

Activities:

A number of activites are scheduled for the Tour including:

• A visit to Magadu in Morogoro where the first batch of 1976 youth where relocated from Dar Es Salaam after arriving from South Africa through neighbouring States

• A dialogue is undertaken within the travelling group and with youth in Mazimbu

• A heritage walk

Each year, the Tour has different elements that are introduced to enrich the experience and ensure that bounds between South Africa and Tanzania are maintained.

Click here to download the Essay Topics and Questions flyer (pdf).

For more information on the Educational Tour you can email: somafcox@somafcox.org.za  or stay updated through the SOMAFCO Trust facebook page.