Embassy Activities

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Heritage Month and Heritage Day 24 September 2019

South Africa commemorates Heritage Month in September. It recognises aspects of South African culture which are both tangible and intangible: creative expression such as music and performances, our historical inheritance, language, the food we eat as well as the popular memory.

Various heritage sites and infrastructures in South Africa are named after the liberation struggle icons, like:

• The Sol Plaatjie Municipality in the Northern Cape
• The Nelson Mandela Museum in the Eastern Cape
• Luthuli House in Gauteng
• King Shaka International Airport in KwaZulu-Natal
• Tshwane Municipality in Gauteng
• Steve Biko Memorial in the Eastern Cape

Heritage Day on 24 September recognises and celebrates the cultural wealth of our nation. South Africans celebrate the day by remembering the cultural heritage of the many cultures that make up the population of South Africa.

South Africa is also home to eight of the 981 World Heritage Sites which are recognised by the United Nations Educational and Scientific Organisation as places of outstanding cultural and historical importance. These sites are:

• Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape in Limpopo
• Robben Island in the Western Cape
• Cradle of Humankind in Gauteng
• the Cape Floral Region in both the Western and Eastern Cape
• Vredefort Dome in the Free State
• uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park
• Isimangaliso Wetland Park in KwaZulu- Natal
• Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape in the Northern Cape.

The sites offer a diversity and abundance of cultural and natural values that encapsulate the value systems of the country.

Tourism Month 2019

Tourism Month is an annual celebration held in September to focus on the importance of tourism to the economy of South Africa.

Tourism Month provides the tourism industry with the opportunity for a heightened focus on the importance of tourism to the local economy. It also serves as an opportunity to promote domestic tourism and create a culture of travel amongst South Africans.

Tourism Month aims to encourage South Africans to travel domestically to get a better understanding of the affordable, exciting and world class attractions that are available on their own doorstep.

This dedicated month normally takes place in lesser visited provinces to give them an opportunity to showcase their tourism facilities and attractions.

Tourism Month also aims to generate awareness on the enormous contribution that the tourism industry makes to provincial and national economic growth and job creation.

International Day of Peace 21 September 2019

Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.

The United Nations invites all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities during the Day, and to otherwise commemorate the Day through education and public awareness on issues related to peace.

South African-born actress Charlize Theron is one of the United Nations Messengers of Peace, while past recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize include former presidents Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk (1993), former Archbishop Desmond Tutu (1994) and Albert Luthuli (1960).

World Environmental Health Day 26 September 2019

Environmental Health Day addresses all the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person, and all the related factors impacting behaviours. It encompasses the assessment and control of those environmental factors that can potentially affect health.

It is targeted towards preventing disease and creating health-supportive environments.

South African Embassy is organizing a Nelson Mandela Football Day to raise funds for the Ankara Refugees Lunch Support Group (ARLSG) on 14 September 2019 from 10 am-17 pm at Çınar Halı Sahası, Öveçler-Çankaya Ankara

We wish you all a Happy Heritage Month full of cultural activities.

Ambassador P I Malefane
South African Embassy in Ankara, Turkey