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Shakira takes break to study
14/09/2007 16:54 - (SA)
Los Angeles - Shakira may get high grades in singing and swivelling her hips, but what about ancient Western history?
For the past month, the Colombian pop star has attended a class at the University of California, Los Angeles, called "Introduction to Western Civilisation: Ancient Civilisations from Prehistory to Circa AD 843."
"She went when she finished her tour, for the summer," Shakira's manager Fifi Kurzman told The Associated Press.
The class began August 6 and ended Thursday, though Shakira did not attend the last few classes, according to course lecturer Robert Cleve.
Cleve said he had not known she was a celebrity during the course and was astonished to learn she was a pop star. The students did not seem to know either.
"She told me she was visiting from Colombia and that she was just doing this for her own enlightenment and enjoyment," Cleve said.
"She looked like just an ordinary student. She wasn't flamboyant ... she didn't act like a big celebrity or anything."
Self-study
Shakira, who sat near the front in the third row of the lecture hall, would often discuss the course material with him after class.
"I was really impressed with how intelligent she was," said Cleve, adding that she was essentially auditing the class and therefore didn't receive a grade or take exams.
For years Shakira, 30, has studied on her own, also taking tutorials on the history and languages of the countries she visits, Kurzman said.
The chanteuse, known for last year's Hips Don't Lie and other hits, released her first album at age 14 and later took time off to finish high school.
She decided to take a musical rest this summer following her worldwide "Oral Fixation" tour to focus on social causes, Kurzman said.
Shakira has joined more than 30 Hispanic music stars in a campaign to benefit victims of the massive earthquake last month in Peru.
Organised by Panama-based non-profit Latin America in Solidarity Action, the campaign calls for public donations to the Red Cross.
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South Africa
