Kani on underprivileged kids seeing Black Panther: It grabbed my heart

Actor John Kani has hailed an initiative by the 947 Breakfast Club to get underprivileged children to watch Black Panther as an incredible experience, insisting that the movie will inspire hope and a black consciousness that may have been lost.

He told TshisaLIVE at a special screening at Montecasino that experiencing the movie with 300 screaming children was something that grabbed his heart.

"To sit with 300 screaming young children, who every time they hear their language, when the mask comes off and they see the person is black, just like them, makes them feel proud to be African."

The 947 morning squad came up with the idea after Connie Chiume and John Kani, who both star in the flick, were on the show and said they hoped that every South African child would get to see the film. 

The team rallied donors and just over 300 grade 10 pupils from the Itirele Zenzele Secondary School in Diepsloot got to watch the film last week.

The film is based in the fictional African country of Wakanda and the cast uses isiXhosa as its home language.

"It gives kids the chance to think about their future and what they can contribute to make their continent greater. It's almost like an African Renaissance: we are discovering ourselves. It will inspire us to tell our own stories and for us to know that the world is ready to listen to a story that is African," added John.

John Kani, Connie Chiume and Anele Mdoda with her radio squad were all there to make the kids dreams come true.