Africa Unify and Prosper

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II at the last Commonwealth meeting which was held in London in 2018 where they spent some time looking at letters that Former President Nelson Mandela sent to the Queen (photo: GCIS)

 

This year marks 77 years since President Ho Chi Minh, on 2 September 1945, read the Declaration of Independence of Viet Nam, proclaiming to the world the birth of a new nation, founded by the values of patriotism, self-reliance, national unity, peace and friendship. Mr Hoang Van Loi, Ambassador of Viet Nam to South Africa hosted a reception in Pretoria to mark the 77th anniversary of Viet Nam's national day.
Viet Nam’s achievements since independence have been significant. Ambassador Hoang said that Viet Nam has developed into a market of close to 100 million consumers, with a GDP of over 350 billion USD and is one of the 20 largest economies in the world in terms of commercial scale. Viet Nam is today a middle-income developing country and has created a favourable environment for business and investment. At its centenary celebration of 100 years of independence, Hoang said that Viet Nam aims to be a developed and high-income country.

 

On August 25 Uruguay celebrated 197 years of its independence. After almost 2 centuries Uruguay is highly ranked in key indicators in terms of peace and stability, human development, democratic process, inclusivity, among others, as compared to the countries of Latin America.
“We can see a strong republican society where the Uruguayan people have shown their will to constitute an independent and sovereign state, based on its democratic institutions and fully linked to the international community,” said Jose Luis Rivas, Ambassador of Uruguay to South Africa at a reception commemorating Uruguay’s Independence, in Pretoria, City of Tshwane.

This year Indonesia celebrates its 77th anniversary of Independence. Victor J Sambuaga, Chargé d’Affaires at the Indonesian Embassy in Pretoria was happy to host a celebration after two years of interruption dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. For Indonesia, this year is all about getting back on track and so they have come up with a national slogan for this year’s commemoration - “pulih lebih cepat, bangkit lebih kuat” – meaning ‘recover faster, rise stronger’.
In South Africa, August is celebrated as Women’s Month and we honour the many women who were at the forefront of the fight against Apartheid. Sambuaga, in his address remembered Indonesian national hero and women emancipation activist, Raden Ajeng Kartini. She authored a book titled Habis Gelap Terbitlah Terang (which translates to out of dark, comes light). The book portrays Kartini’s fight for women’s rights and equality during the colonial era. Her struggles laid the foundation for women’s emancipation even before Indonesia’s Independence Day.

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida could not make the trip to Africa to attend the all important TICAD8 conference that was held in Tunisia on 27 to 28 August 2022 as he had tested positive for Covid-19, the global coronavirus pandemic that has caused much panic, paranoia and disruptions, and it has certainly placed the intentions of humanity under critical review.
The TICAD8 Tunis Declaration on August 28, 2022 states - "The Covid-19 pandemic has had unprecedented economic, political, environmental and social impacts globally. The pandemic highlighted the urgency and importance of integration, solidarity and 'investment in people' which will enhance the significant potential of Africa as a driving force of global growth. As the global community witnessed the human security crisis caused by the pandemic, the concept of human security needs to be upheld more than ever. The pandemic has reminded us of the value of 'people' on which the TICAD process attaches great importance."

Ambassador Chull-Joo Park of Korea addressing delegates

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in December 1992, the Republic of Korea and South Africa have signed 16 bilateral agreements covering cooperation in sectors such as air transport, protection of investments, taxation, science and technology, mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, extradition, ICT, vocational training and energy. In 30 years, relations have strengthened in all aspects which has seen South Africa become Korea’s largest trading partner on the continent with trade volumes reaching over US$ 2 billion. This trend has continued its upward trend despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the geo-politic instability of recent months.
The Embassy of the Republic of Korea, the Korea-Africa Foundation (KAF) and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) hosted a seminar commemorating this milestone event of 30 years of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Korea and South Africa. Ambassador Woon-Ki Lyeo, President of the Korea-Africa Foundation spoke of the specific emphasis of Korean policy on Africa and the partnership platform connecting Korea and Africa in his opening remarks.

 

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