The College of Magic turns ordinary kids into confident, top-hat wearing magicians
Dressed in a sharp black three-piece suit and a dapper yellow bow tie, Lubelo Mthenjana stands alone on a dark stage, taking in the last few seconds of quiet before the curtain opens.
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curtain → turn → quiet
He takes a deep breath as his name is announced.
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name → take → breath
Then he opens his arms wide and flashes a bright smile.
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he → open → smile
My name is Lubelo Mthenjana, and I will be performing for you … some magic!"
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I → perform → magic
They laugh out loud as he makes a string of paper clips vanish into a plastic cup and gasp with surprise as the clips reappear inside a matchbox.
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clips → laugh → matchbox
Then comes his best trick: He conjures sweets out of thin air and tosses them into the crowd.
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He → come → crowd
The room erupts.
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room → erupt → ?
As Lubelo takes his final bow to thunderous applause, his mom beams a proud smile at the 11-year-old apprentice magician.
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mom → take → magician
On this cloudy Saturday morning in September, Cape Town's College of Magic is buzzing with energy as dozens of students are competing in the annual junior magic contest.
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dozens → buzz → contest
Heading to their classrooms, children in top hats, crisp white shirts and ties dash up and down a staircase decorated with a riot of brightly colored posters.
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children → head → posters
On every floor, display cabinets overflow with magic wands, sparkly hats, silk scarves, handcuffs, dice, Rubik's Cubes, toys, photographs and dozens of trophies earned by students in competitions all over the world.
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cabinets → overflow → world
Outside the old red-brick Victorian mansion, framed by palm trees, two teenage boys zip around the car park on unicycles.
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boys → frame → unicycles
Balls, clubs and diabolos shoot up into the air as a handful of kids practice juggling on the porch.
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handful → shoot → porch
The Hogwarts of Cape Town
Tucked away in a peaceful suburb, this extraordinary school is a real-world Hogwarts: Africa's only school for youthful stage magicians and illusionists.
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school → tuck → magicians
"All the skills that will make a good magician," sums up David Gore, the school's founder.
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Gore → make → magician
In 1980, Gore was studying law and paying his way by performing at private magic shows when he and a friend came up with the idea of starting a magic school.
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he → study → school
"We walked into our local newspaper house with our top hats and tails, told our story about how we were starting the College of Magic, did magic for the journalists in the newsroom, and they published an article," he recalls.
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he → walk → article
"From that article, we had 34 young people who started attending formal weekly classes studying magic.
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who → have → magic
At the time, South Africa was still in the grip of apartheid, a brutal system of racial segregation that dictated almost every aspect of daily life.
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that → dictate → life
State schools were strictly segregated.
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schools → segregate → ?
Students of different races could not even share park benches, some building entrances or take the same public transport to school.
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Students → share → school
"When we started out, our organization was illegal," says Gore, referring to its no-segregation policy.
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Gore → start → policy
"This was an opportunity for young people from all backgrounds to come together around a common interest in magic, to learn about each other and understand each other."
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people → come → other
Nearly 50 years later, the school continues to stand out in a city still deeply divided along racial and economic lines.
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school → continue → lines
"Many of our young people remain siloed in their socioeconomic groups, very often along either language or racial lines," Gore explains.
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Gore → remain → lines
"Some arrive in very fancy cars, others have taken an hour in a collective taxi to get here.
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others → arrive → taxi
But when they're here, they work with the same equipment, the same classes, the same stages and get the same food.
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they → work → food
"
Though the six-year course costs a fee, about 80% of the students cannot afford to pay and are sponsored, mostly through private donations.
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% → cost → donations
"Magic is such a wonderful companion for our young people here in South Africa," says Gore.
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Gore → say → Africa
"They're able to carry it in their pockets, into the communities and the marginalized areas where most of our students come from.
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most → carry → students
It's an art form that can be performed without being wealthy or needing very expensive instruments.
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that → perform → instruments
Multiple studies have found that learning magic can help children develop self-esteem, curiosity, lateral thinking, fine motor skills and problem-solving abilities.
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children → find → esteem
A 2021 study conducted by researchers at the Universities of Hertfordshire and Edinburgh found that children who learned and performed a magic trick showed greater improvements in creative fluency and originality than those who completed a similar art activity.
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who → conduct → activity
Even watching a magic trick can challenge our assumptions about the world and stimulate more original thinking.
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watching → watch → thinking
In another study, researchers found that it stimulated areas of the brain associated with cognitive flexibility and processing unconventional information.
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it → find → information
"Many of our graduates don't become performers or magicians.
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Many → become → graduates
But one of the skills that this young generation is most going to need for their careers is creativity," adds Gore.
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Gore → go → careers
A kid who's hooked on magic
For 11-year-old Lubelo, magic has "opened up a new world."
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magic → open → world
After watching a family friend perform a trick, he was determined to join the College of Magic.
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he → watch → Magic
He had to wait until he turned 10 to enroll.
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he → have → 10
…and 42 more, not listed.
The Aporia
