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ICCR to host Africa Day

 ‘India-Africa: Bound together’, the week-long event will be filled with cultural performances, African films, a week-long exhibition and a seminar. 

“India and Africa have always enjoyed warm and cordial relations of close friendship and partnership. We have worked shoulder to shoulder on such important issues as freedom from colonialism, apartheid and trade and development issues. Our leaders shared similar vision of freedom and development and enjoyed great rapport,” said Ambassador C Rajasekhar, Director General, ICCR. The aim of the event is to highlight Africa’s diversity, success, economic potential and cultural resonance with India and the rest of the world. 

The Day commemorates the establishment of the African Union in 2001 which replaced the Organisation of African Unity established on May 25, 1963. It acknowledges the progress that Africans have made while reflecting upon the challenges Africa faces in the global environment.
A panel discussion, an exhibition of African artefacts, a performance by an African Cultural group, especially flown for the occasion, followed by informal dinner that will feature African delicacies, will be hosted. 
A special dance performance will be staged by Likakapa Africa, which is a cultural ensemble that performs over four Lesotho cultural dances, in their bid to promote the Lesotho Culture. Likakapa is a Sesotho noun which means “the Legends” or “crème de la crème”. These performances are a blend of Famo Music, Afro jazz, Hip Hop that caters to the youth.

Likakapa represents two major Famo artists Rabots’o le Semanyane and Lebohang Lets’ohla who, in most of the songs, are lead artists. They are backed by Tom Rakoti, an Afro Jazz artist and Molibeli Mokake, who is a Hip Hop artist and a rapper.

All these events would be at the Azad Bhavan, ICCR. There will also be a screening of African films that will promote greater understanding about Africa. The century-old ties between India and Africa share similar history of struggle against colonialism and apartheid. India and Africa constitute about two thirds of the working population of the world. Both have emerged to jointly accept the challenges of cultural heterogeneity in a globalising world. They aim  to combat with common threats — the threat from international terrorism; the scourge of poverty, disease, illiteracy and hunger; the challenge of climate change; to collectively promote the socio-economic and cultural advancement of their people. 

Besides, thousands of people of African descent settled in India during medieval period. In recent times many students from different countries of Africa have chosen India as their destination of education.
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