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Oprah Winfrey Makes Appearance In South Africa

On Friday, talk show host Oprah Winfrey attended the finale of a week long arts festival at her Leadership Academy for Girls outside of Johannesburg, South Africa that she built in 2007. The theme of the week long festival was centered around creating recyclable art that is environmentally friendly.

Throughout the week, the young women received training from a number of celebrity guests. British actress Thandie Newton gave acting lessons, American designer Ralph Lauren’s nephew, Greg Lauren, taught the young women about art and design, and Oprah’s former chef, Art Smith doled out cooking lessons.

The finale, held in a a state-of-the-art theater built by Winfrey, the young women put on a show that included singing, dancing, and other performances. In response to one young woman who read an essay describing her humble beginnings and aspirations to one day win a Nobel Peace Prize, Oprah said the following to the Associated Press, “I am moved by the stories. When you think about these little girls three years ago carrying buckets of water on their heads and (living) with no running water. Now they are talking about going to Harvard and winning a Nobel Peace Prize.”

Tweet Tags: Art Smith, Greg Lauren, Johannesburg, Leadership Academy for Girls, Oprah Winfrey, Ralph Lauren, South Africa, Thandie Newton