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An African passport will liberate the continent’s people from their colonial identity. It will instil a renewed sense of belonging and pride. It will go further, as people freely move and interact with each other, creating diverse relationships that enable fresh exchanges and encourages bold thinking to provide African solutions as new challenges may arise. As sensational perceptions of Africa get stuck in a time loop, the 25th Ordinary Summit of the African Union (AU) that took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from the 7th to 16th June 2015 indicated that Africa has taken a quantum leap.
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International Day of Yoga - 21 June
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 June 21 was declared as the International Day of Yoga by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 2014.Yoga, a physical, mental and spiritual practice having its origin over 6000 years ago in India, aims to integrate the body and the mind. The declaration of this day came after the call for the adoption of 21 June as International Day of Yoga by PM Narendra Modi during his address to UN General Assembly on September 27, 2014wherein he stated: "Yoga is an invaluable gift of India's ancient tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfilment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well-being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness within yourself, the world and the nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us deal with climate change. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day."
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IDSA - Golden Gala Dinner
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 Over R100 000 has been raised by the International Diplomatic Spouses Association (IDSA) for South African charities. The money was raised at IDSA’s charity fundraising Golden Gala dinner which took place on 30 May 2015. Among the 230 people attending were more than 30 IDSA members and nearly as many Ambassadors and High Commissioners. In welcoming guests, IDSA’s President, Ms. Rana Mansour, noted that every year the association seeks to raise funds to help vulnerable women and children in South Africa. “Our prime concern is to help underprivileged groups, especially women and children. Last year alone, IDSA donated over R170 000.00 to ease the plight of women and children through various charities, in addition to direct donations of food, toiletries, and toys and hours of volunteer work,” she said.
Toasting to the 117th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence are Ambassador Joseph Gerard B. Angeles of the Philippines to South Africa and Mr Thembelani Thulas Nxesi, Minister of Public Works of South Africa.
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Libraries positioning South Africa in the world
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South Africa is proud to host the 2015 International Federation of Library Association (IFLA) and the World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) in Cape Town from 13-21 August 2015. IFLA/WLIC is a gathering of more than 4000 Library and Information Professionals worldwide. This will be the 3rd Congress to be held on African soil. It was held in Nairobi (1984), Durban (2007) and now Cape Town in 2015. We believe that this will impact on the library profession and development of the country and the continent. The right of access to information is a basic human right. The National Library of South Africa (NLSA) has a role and responsibility to ensure that the right of access to information becomes a reality. The NLSA is mandated by the National Library of South Africa Act to collect and preserve published documents and make them accessible to the public.
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