Poland in South Africa

About four thousand guests took part on 23 November in the annual lecture of the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Given the symbolism, the event took place on the university campus of the University of Johannesburg, in the suburb of historical poverty and resistance against racial segregation – Soweto.

Compared to the results of the previous PISA 2015 survey, Polish students achieved better results in all areas of studies: reading literacy, mathematical literacy and science literacy. In all three areas covered by the survey, the results of Polish students are above the average for OECD countries and place them in the forefront.

On the occasion of the 101st anniversary of Poland regaining independence and the 200th birthday anniversary of Stanislaw Moniuszko, the Polish Embassy in Poland organized a concert of classical music in the masterful performance of Polish artists – Joanna Maklakiewicz and Marek Bugajski. The programme included the works of Frederic Chopin and Stanislaw Moniuszko, the outstanding Polish composers of the 19th century, whose artistry contributed to the strengthening of the identity of the Polish nation and also to raise the spirits of Poles living abroad.

Olga Tokarczuk, Polish writer and activist, won the Nobel Prize in Literature for “a narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life.”

Eighty years ago, German aggression on Poland started the Second World War. In the early hours of 1 September 1939, troops of the German Reich crossed the Polish-German border. Polish Army put up military resistance and expected the Allies’ reaction. On 3 September 1939, France and the UK declared war on the German Reich but did not take any real military action. Poland’s tragic fate was sealed on 17 September 1939 when the Soviet Union launched the invasion of Poland from the East. The attack of the German Reich and the Soviet Union resulted from the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact signed by the two totalitarian regimes, a secret protocol to which effectively divided Central Europe into the so-called spheres of influence.

Please be informed that some additional visa appointment dates FOR STUDENTS for September will become available on Sunday 3 September 2023, between 10.00-10.15 on the E-Konsulat system: https://secure.e-konsulat.gov.pl/