NEW DELHI: A festival of films put together by the Directorate of Film Festivals of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry will form part of the Festival of India to be held in different parts of South Africa between 18 July and 31 August this year.
Culture secretary Ravindra Singh launched the logo, posters and webpage for the Festival of India in South Africa.
To mark the occasion of 20 years of end of apartheid regime and the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and South Africa subsequent to the formation of the democratic government in South Africa, the Culture Ministry has organised the festival in collaboration with the External Affairs Ministry and the Embassy of India in Pretoria.
The Festival of India is a gesture of friendship between India and South Africa, an exchange of culture and ideas; it revisits history and historical alliances between these two great countries. It is a celebration between the people of South Africa and India. An Indian delegation led by MOS(IC) for Ministry of Culture is proposed to visit South Africa for Festival of India in South Africa beginning from July 18 2014.
The Festival of India in South Africa covers a wide-range of events showcasing Indian performing arts, photo cricket exhibition, interactive Gandhi-Mandela exhibition, literary festival, food festival and film festival. Ministry of Culture Institutions namely Sangeet Natak Akedemi, Kathak Kendra, National Archive of India, Sahitya Akademi and National Council of Science Museums would be participating in the Festival’s events.
The colourful logo designed for the Festival consists of a handshake - a symbol of trust and friendship that seals a bond between two people, two communities and two nations. The hands are coated in the colours of their respective country. The logo has faces of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi side by side in a circle. The logo is washed in the colours of India and converts it into one single integrated unit that symbolizes inclusiveness and collective force of all.
The Festival of India in South Africa will be celebrated in eight cities covering Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban.
