Date: 26/07/2005
Source: Department of Arts and Culture
Title: Jordan: Signing of Arts and Culture agreement with Greece
Speech by Minister of Arts and Culture, Dr Z Pallo Jordan at the signing of the Arts and Culture agreement between the Government of the Republic of South Africa and the Government of the Hellenic Republic at the Old Raadsaal
Programme Director
Your Excellency, Mr John Economides
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
I am honoured to be part of this historic and auspicious occasion, namely the signing of the agreement between Government of the Republic of South Africa and the Government of the Hellenic Republic on cooperation in the fields of Arts and Culture.
The signing of this agreement will consolidate, broaden and strengthen the friendly ties and reciprocal understanding between our two countries. The agreement will further promote, to the greatest possible extent, the mutual knowledge and understanding of the respective cultures, intellectual and artistic achievements, history and way of life as well as uplift and enhance the quality of life of the peoples of South Africa and Greece.
For the past seven years South Africa has had the honour and privilege to be invited to participate in the Annual Lefkada Festival in Athens. The Department of Arts and Culture has, up to date, sent various cultural groups from our seven provinces namely: Western Cape, Eastern Cape, North West, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal to perform at this annual festival and much to the delight and cheers of the people attending the festival. In this way the South African cultural experience has been well received by the Greek community, and it is in this regard that the Greek/South African Association expressed their desire to once again invite the South African group to perform at the Lefkada Festival in Greece. For this year, the Department of Arts and Culture has identified a young and talented cultural group from the Free State Province to travel to Greece to once more fly the South African flag high at this prestigious and colourful event.
During the 10th Democracy Anniversary Celebrations in 2004, Sibikwa Marimba Band, a cultural group, rendered performances at a Festival in Komotini in Northern Greece, as well as at the 4th African Food, Music and Handicrafts Festival. The performances were extremely successful and as the African Festival has become an extremely popular event on the Athenian cultural calendar and which, at the time benefited UNICEF, would not have been complete without the participation of a South African traditional group.
There are few places in the world with so rich and diverse an artistic and cultural history as Greece. In terms of archaeology there are artefacts that are 200,000 years old, while architecturally Greece boasts Minoan and Dorian ruins dating back almost four millennia.
Greece is bursting at the seams with museums. Almost every single city, town, village, historical site, settlement and hole in the hedge has an archaeological museum which details the archaeological and historical significance of its surroundings.
The signing of this agreement will indeed further help to enhance the role that the arts and culture play in economic and social development as well as promote cultural development in South Africa in line with government strategic objectives.
It is my sincere wish that the relationship between Greece and South Africa in the area of arts and culture can be concretised to cover other areas of the diverse and rich cultures of our countries.
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Arts and Culture
26 July 2005
Source: Department of Arts and Culture
Title: Jordan: Signing of Arts and Culture agreement with Greece
Speech by Minister of Arts and Culture, Dr Z Pallo Jordan at the signing of the Arts and Culture agreement between the Government of the Republic of South Africa and the Government of the Hellenic Republic at the Old Raadsaal
Programme Director
Your Excellency, Mr John Economides
Distinguished guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
I am honoured to be part of this historic and auspicious occasion, namely the signing of the agreement between Government of the Republic of South Africa and the Government of the Hellenic Republic on cooperation in the fields of Arts and Culture.
The signing of this agreement will consolidate, broaden and strengthen the friendly ties and reciprocal understanding between our two countries. The agreement will further promote, to the greatest possible extent, the mutual knowledge and understanding of the respective cultures, intellectual and artistic achievements, history and way of life as well as uplift and enhance the quality of life of the peoples of South Africa and Greece.
For the past seven years South Africa has had the honour and privilege to be invited to participate in the Annual Lefkada Festival in Athens. The Department of Arts and Culture has, up to date, sent various cultural groups from our seven provinces namely: Western Cape, Eastern Cape, North West, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal to perform at this annual festival and much to the delight and cheers of the people attending the festival. In this way the South African cultural experience has been well received by the Greek community, and it is in this regard that the Greek/South African Association expressed their desire to once again invite the South African group to perform at the Lefkada Festival in Greece. For this year, the Department of Arts and Culture has identified a young and talented cultural group from the Free State Province to travel to Greece to once more fly the South African flag high at this prestigious and colourful event.
During the 10th Democracy Anniversary Celebrations in 2004, Sibikwa Marimba Band, a cultural group, rendered performances at a Festival in Komotini in Northern Greece, as well as at the 4th African Food, Music and Handicrafts Festival. The performances were extremely successful and as the African Festival has become an extremely popular event on the Athenian cultural calendar and which, at the time benefited UNICEF, would not have been complete without the participation of a South African traditional group.
There are few places in the world with so rich and diverse an artistic and cultural history as Greece. In terms of archaeology there are artefacts that are 200,000 years old, while architecturally Greece boasts Minoan and Dorian ruins dating back almost four millennia.
Greece is bursting at the seams with museums. Almost every single city, town, village, historical site, settlement and hole in the hedge has an archaeological museum which details the archaeological and historical significance of its surroundings.
The signing of this agreement will indeed further help to enhance the role that the arts and culture play in economic and social development as well as promote cultural development in South Africa in line with government strategic objectives.
It is my sincere wish that the relationship between Greece and South Africa in the area of arts and culture can be concretised to cover other areas of the diverse and rich cultures of our countries.
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Arts and Culture
26 July 2005
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