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Records of ICC activities for the month of August 2008
Independence Day
The Consulate General of India, Johannesburg celebrated India’s Independence Day on 15 August 2008 at the Consulate. Shri Navdeep Suri, CG unfurled the National Flag followed by singing of the National Anthem. CG read out the message of the President of India to the gathering. Thereafter, the Indian Cultural Centre’s Music Group rendered Patriotic songs to mark the occasion. The event was attended by over 500 Indian Nationals and local South African Indians.
School children participating in the celebration
Centenary commemoration of the ‘Burning of the Bonfire 1908’
This year marked the Centenary of the Burning of the Bonfire 1908, where Gandhi led over 2000 Indians to the Hamidia Mosque in Fordsburg and burned their Registration Certificates. This was part of the Satyagraha Campaign which was started by Gandhi in Johannesburg. The Consulate General of India, Johannesburg organized a number of events to commemorate the Burning of the Bonfire:
Gandhi Peace March
The centerpiece of the commemorative events was the Gandhi Peace March that was organized on August 16 from Museum Africa in the Newtown area to the historic Hamidia Mosque. Hon’ble Smt. Ambika Soni, Minister of Tourism and Culture led the march from the India side along with her counterpart Dr. Pallo Jordan, Minister of Arts and Culture and Mr. Kgalema Motlanthe, Deputy President of the ANC and Minister in the Presidency who represented the South African government. The walk attracted a large number of public figures, freedom fighters and members of civil society as well as 300 students from local African schools. Over 1500 individuals participated in the walk. Using the good offices of Bank of Baroda and the India Tourism offices in Johannesburg, we were able to get special T-shirts for all participants themed ‘Gandhi Peace March: The Bonfire of 1908’. These were donned by Hon’ble Minister of Tourism and Culture Smt. Ambika Soni, Mr. Kgalema Motlanthe, High Commissioner as well as other participating dignitaries and the general public, adding considerable colour as well as a festive spirit to the occasion. The walk ended at the Hamidia Mosque where a public function was organized. It included addresses by Maulana Ibrahim Bam, the Head Imam of the Mosque, High Commissioner, Minister Pallo Jordan, Hon’ble Minister of Tourism and Culture and Minister Kgalema Motlanthe. At the conclusion of the function, replicas of the registration certificates were symbolically burnt in a cauldron adjacent to the spot where the bonfire of 1908 had taken place.
The participation of a wide range of Indian community organizations including the Jamaat-e-Ulema, the Muqsood Ali Shah Urs Committee, the Hamidia Mosque, the Gauteng Tamil Federation, The Transvaal Hindu Seva Samaj, Swaminarayan Temple and others was noted as a particularly significant development. Over the years, the Indian community has been fractured into different sub-groupings which barely interact with each other. Their active collaboration in the commemorative events, it was felt, has helped in rekindling the spirit of unity that was clearly manifest in the Bonfire of 1908.
The Hon. Ministers with the High Commisioner (L) cutting the Ribbon at the start of the Gandhi Peace March and public participation in the march (R)
The events received wide media coverage. The popular Weekender newspaper carried a half page article on 16th August, while the Sunday Times Extra carried a news report and the Independent published the prize winning essay. SABC TV and Zee TV sent reporters to cover the walk and SAFM radio interviewed several participants. Some of the TV footage included Zee TV’s interviews with Smt. Ambika Soni and other South African dignitaries. IANS and the local ethnic media have also reported extensively on the events. Cumulatively, this has helped in disseminating the message across a wide cross-section of the public.
From a political standpoint too, the Gandhi Peace Walk and the participation of leading South African dignitaries in it have had a very positive impact. Mr. Motlanthe is often mentioned as a possible successor to President Mbeki. His participation in the walk and wearing a Gandhi T-shirt and the effusive speech made by him and by Minister Pallo Jordan bolstered the confidence of the Indian community and also gave a boost to bilateral relations.
A Colloquium
The University of Witwatersrand organized a Colloquium where a number of leading academics presented papers on a broad range of topics including Gandhigiri, Satyagraha, the ethics of reconciliation, the dilemmas of non-violent resistance, the influence of Mahatma Gandhi on the ANC etc. It is significant that ‘Historia’ the prestigious journal of the South African History Association will publish all papers in a special issue of the journal that will appear in May 2009. This will automatically ensure that the Colloquium proceedings are received by every academic institution and library in the country.
Some of the participants of the Colloquium
Essay Competition
In partnership with the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE), the Gandhi Centenary Committee and Wits University we also organized an essay competition themed “The Bonfire of 1908: Passive Resistance Then and Now”. Several hundred entries were received from government as well as private schools from across the province. An initial screening was carried out by the schools themselves and the GDE sent us a final panel of 36 essays. These essays were adjudged by a panel comprising Prof. Jonathan Janssen, eminent author and former Vice-Chancellor of University of Pretoria; Maureen Issacson, Assistant Editor of the Independent on Sunday; Nishana Parsad, Head of History Curriculum at GDE and Kirti Menon, Chief Director in the Ministry of Higher Education and Chairperson of the Gandhi Centenary Committee. They were assisted by Prof. Isabel Hofmeyr of the School of Languages at Wits University and Ms. Coco Cachalia, CEO of Kagiso TV.
Hon’ble Minister of Tourism & Culture Smt. Ambika Soni and Mr. Kgalema Motlanthe, Deputy President of the ANC awarded to the first three best entries cash prizes of Rands 4,000/-, Rands 2,000/- and Rands 1,500/respectively. As the judges felt that a differentiation was required for private schools in view of the high quality of essays received from them, a separate prize of Rands 4,000/- sponsored by the India Club in Johannesburg was given to the best essay from private schools. The winner of the ‘best essay’ prize Graham Griffiths, a Grade 11 student from Willowmoore School, Benoni was given the opportunity to present his paper at the Colloquium at Wits University. Thanks to the presence of Maureen Issacson on the panel of judges, his essay has also been published in the Independent on Sunday on August 17, 2008.
The winning students of the Essay Competition with the Dignitaries
Public lecture by Prof. Kader Asmal
The commemoration concluded with a public lecture by Prof. Kader Asmal at the Constitution Court premises. As a former Minister of Water Resources and Education in the Mandela and Mbeki governments, Prof. Asmal is an ANC veteran who enjoys enormous respect for his intellectual integrity. The Constitution Court itself is located on the site of the infamous Old Fort Prison where Mahatma Gandhi was incarcerated thrice during his years in Johannesburg. The lecture was attended by noble laureate Nadine Gordimer and a wide range of academics, writers and heads of different community organizations. Prof. Asmal delivered an eloquent, wide ranging discourse that highlighted the continued relevance of Gandhian principles of non-violence and Satyagraha to oppose all forms of injustice in South Africa and in conflict situations around the world.
Public lecture by Prof. Kader Asmal
Regular Programme at the ICC, Johannesburg
The Indian Cultural Centre, Johannesburg hosts regular weekly activities at the Centre which are attended by cross section of the South African society.
Saturdays Activities:
- Indian Classical Music Classes
Indian classical music and light vocal music classes are conducted by Mrs. Monali Shome with three sessions of about 20 students each.
The Class is very popular and attracts students from across Johannesburg. They also perform on National Days and other ICC functions.
No of Classes: 3 X 1 hour sessions
Total No. of students: 60
- Tabla Class
The Indian Cultural Centre, Johannesburg recently started a Tabla class under the tuition of a local teacher, Guru Yugesh which has generated considerable interest. The students meet every Saturday at the Cultural Centre. The class has about twenty students.
No of Classes: 2 X 1 hour sessions
Total No students: 20
- Hatha Yoga
The Class is conducted by Ms. Yvonne Pawlowski and is very popular.
No of classes 1 with over 30 students
- Pranayama
The Class is conducted by Ms. Adelaide Lorge and is a follow on to the
Hatha Yoga class. A number of students regularly participate in this
class.
No of classes: 1 class with over 20 students
- Hindi Classes
Hindi Classes are conducted at the Centre by Gharib Bhai. They cover reading, writing and spoken Hindi. The students who attend this class are very enthusiastic and there are many who have also joined the Indian music class.
No of classes: 3 classes with over 50 students
Sunday Activities:
- Kathak Dance Class
Dr. Vinod Hasal of the R.K. Dance & Music Academy conducts Kathak Dance Classes at the Centre. The students in the class are enthusiastic and also participate in the annual concert organized by the R.K. Dance & Music Academy.
No of classes: 2 X 1 hour sessions with 30 students
- Kathak Dance Classes in Soweto:
Dr. Vinod Hasal of the R.K. Dance & Music Academy also conducts Kathak Dance Classes at the Matseliso Secondary School in Soweto once a week. There are over eighty students in the class. The programme is supported by ICCR.
No of classes: 2 X 1 hour sessions with 80 students
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