NIGERIA: TENNIS - Venus and Serena Williams are guests of honour at a Lagos school where they join starstruck pupils in a dance

Record ID: 235806

  • Title: NIGERIA: TENNIS - Venus and Serena Williams are guests of honour at a Lagos school where they join starstruck pupils in a dance
  • Date: 1st November 2012
  • Summary: LAGOS, NIGERIA (NOVEMBER 1, 2012) (REUTERS) SCHOOLGIRLS DANCING VENUS (PINK TOP) AND SERENA WILLIAMS WATCHING GIRLS DANCING CLOSE UP VENUS CLOSE UP SERENA VENUS AND SERENA DANCING WITH SCHOOLGIRLS (SOUNDBITE) (English) SERENA WILLIAMS, SAYING: "We're here to help support people especially in the countries that we've been to in Africa, this is our first time in Nigeria but we visit other countries as well and we just want to make our presence known and help as many people in Africa as we can." VENUS AND SERENA ENTER CLASSROOM/ PUPILS CLAPPING VENUS AND SERENA TALKING TO SCHOOL STAFF WILLIAMS' ENTOURAGE WATCHING VENUS WILLIAMS SPEAKING TO CLASS VARIOUS PUPILS (SOUNDBITE) (English) SCHOOL PUPIL CHIDERA KALU SAYING: "I felt so glad and happy because I really need a role model in my life like since being a sports prefect, I really need a role model, someone that if I see the person, I'll feel challenged to be like the person I want to be." (SOUNDBITE) (English) SUSAN ISAAC, SCHOOL HEAD PREFECT, SAYING: "When I heard that they were coming, God, I was so, so happy, I even had an encounter with them at the Ikoyi club, so I'm very, very happy, very, very happy seeing them." VARIOUS VENUS AND SERENA POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS WITH PUPILS
  • Embargoed: 16th November 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA9TT28YTOKZIEH37DTG6HBMX2N
  • Story Text: US tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams joined in a dance at a Lagos school on Thursday (November 1) as they continued their trip to Africa.
    The sisters and their mother are in Nigeria to promote women's tennis and empowerment of women on the continent and visited a school where they found the pupils' enthusiasm infectious as a group of dancers found their celebrity guests joining in.
    Serena told the girls: "We're here to help support people. We just want to make our presence known and help as many people in Africa as we can."
    A class full of girls rose and cheered when the sisters entered a classroom and the Americans' presence was obviously inspiring.
    Pupil Chidera Kalu described them as role models and school head prefect Susan Isaac said: "When I heard that they were coming, God, I was so, so happy."
    On Friday the sisters - who have a total of 25 Grand Slam wins between them will play against each other in an exhibition match.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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