Two teams from Elsies River library have secured their place among the top three winners of the Mandela Day coding tournament, and are now preparing to compete in the national and world tournaments in October and December. The libraries in Cape Town have embraced coding as a step towards digital transformation, sparking a digital revolution that could redefine the role of libraries in the city and beyond. The coding contest has opened a new chapter in the evolution of libraries, making them centres of innovation and digital interaction.
Learn how two teams from Elsies River library secured their place among the top three winners of the Mandela Day coding tournament, and are now preparing to compete in the national and world tournaments in October and December. The city’s libraries enthusiastically embrace coding as a step towards digital transformation, sparking a digital revolution that could redefine the role of libraries in Cape Town and beyond.
The city’s libraries transformed into digital arenas for in-house coding sessions, held on the vibrant occasion of Mandela Day, 21 July 2024. Two exceptional teams from Elsies River library proved their mettle and secured a place among the top three winners. These digital champions are now preparing to compete in the national competition in October, followed by the World Tournament in December.
On the day of the competition, the libraries opened their doors to an admirable 438 participants, organized into around 30 teams. These tech-savvy enthusiasts battled it out in a gripping coding contest held across 28 library locations. As the final scores were counted, the Elsies River Tribal Chiefs emerged victorious, grabbing the first position. The second spot went to the hard-fought Belhar Rangers, while Team Yoh!, another team from Elsies River, secured the third position.
The competition’s format was unplugged coding, a minimal data-intensive activity. The app for the event only consumed a mere 7MB, allowing teams to participate offline using specific game packs and tokens in either TANKS or RANGERS. Two organizations, Tangible Africa and the Leva Foundation, actively supported the nationally celebrated Mandela Day Coding tournament.
The city’s libraries enthusiastically embraced the coding initiative as a step towards digital transformation. Patricia Van der Ross, Councillor and Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, expressed immense satisfaction at the success of the initiative. She commended the participants for their dedication and extended her best wishes to the teams progressing in the competition.
Following the Mandela Day competition, the subsequent phase of the challenge awaits. The top three teams from each geographical sector advance to the next round, with a total of twelve teams competing for the privilege of representing Cape Town at the national and international tournaments.
In the previous edition of the tournament, the final round saw participation from a diverse range of geographical locations. These included nations from Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Zambia, Zimbabwe) and further afield (Ireland, Germany, United States of America). The city’s libraries participating in the tournament displayed their tech-skill proficiency, with all three managing to secure positions in the top ten.
The forthcoming journey, while challenging, is abundant with opportunities. As coding popularity increases, more libraries and communities are expected to join future competitions. For those keen on engaging with the coding world, extensive information is available at local libraries or through the Leva Foundation at info@levafoundation.org.
The outstanding performance of the Elsies River library teams bodes well for the coding landscape’s exciting future. Their achievement acts as a beacon to potential competitors, sparking a digital revolution that could redefine the role of libraries in Cape Town and beyond. The coding contest has indeed opened a new chapter in the evolution of libraries, morphing them into centres of innovation and digital interaction.
The Mandela Day coding tournament is a coding competition held in Cape Town on Mandela Day, July 21st, aimed at promoting digital transformation and innovation in libraries. The competition involves unplugged coding with minimal data-intensive activity.
Two teams from Elsies River library, the Elsies River Tribal Chiefs and Team Yoh!, secured their place among the top three winners of the Mandela Day coding tournament. The Belhar Rangers came in second place.
The top three teams from each geographical sector advance to the next phase of the challenge, with a total of twelve teams competing for the privilege of representing Cape Town at the national and international tournaments in October and December.
The libraries in Cape Town embraced coding as a step towards digital transformation, and the Mandela Day coding tournament sparked a digital revolution that could redefine the role of libraries in Cape Town and beyond.
For those keen on engaging with the coding world, extensive information is available at local libraries or through the Leva Foundation at info@levafoundation.org.
The coding contest has opened a new chapter in the evolution of libraries, morphing them into centres of innovation and digital interaction, sparking a digital revolution that could redefine the role of libraries in Cape Town and beyond.
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