Lubelo Mthenjana, who's 11, performs a magic trick involving fire during the annual junior magic contest at the College of Magic in Cape Town, South Africa. Tommy Trenchard for NPR hide caption

Tommy Trenchard for NPR

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. He takes a deep breath as his name is announced. Then he opens his arms wide and flashes a bright smile.

"Hello everyone! My name is Lubelo Mthenjana, and I will be performing for you … some magic!"

The audience of about 30 children and parents is spellbound. 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. Then comes his best trick: He conjures sweets out of thin air and tosses them into the crowd. The room erupts.…