Henley-on-Klip, South Africa – Oprah Winfrey headed a celebrity lineup that included Tina Turner and Spike Lee at the opening Tuesday of the talk- show host’s leadership academy for poor South African girls.
The true stars, though, were Sade and Megan, whose father killed their mother and then himself; Zodwa, whose mother died of AIDS; and about 150 other girls who Winfrey said had a “light so bright” that it shone through their deprivation and helped their dreams come true.
The $40 million Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in the town of Henley-on- Klip, south of Johannesburg, plucked the girls from poverty to be groomed for power.
Winfrey said she planned to open another school for boys and girls this month in eastern KwaZulu-Natal province.
Guests on Tuesday, including Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Sidney Poitier and Chris Tucker, were asked to bring a personally inscribed book for the library, which included everything from self-help books to Harry Potter.
Winfrey, who is called “Mam Oprah” by the girls, said she came with a celebrity posse for a reason: “These people have the power to do things. They have voices which can be heard in the U.S. and across the world.”
