Poland in South Africa

The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria presented two exhibitions: "Mom, I don't want war" and an exhibition devoted to the life and work of Fryderyk Chopin. At the Polish stand, the participants of the event could learn about the culture, rich tradition and geography of our country, as well as beautiful architecture, numerous monuments and interesting places worth seeing. Embassy employees also provided information on the Polish educational offer and available scholarship programs, including the Stefan Banach Scholarship Program. Polish dumplings, faworki and gingerbread aroused great interest and brought the participants closer to the traditional Polish cuisine, as well as Polish culinary symbols. The Embassy also organized a quiz on knowledge about Poland, which was very popular. Participants who answered all the questions correctly received prizes: T-shirts and mugs with the embassy logo, books "About Poland" and Nie-mapy.

This year, the festival was attended by, among others: Belgium, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, France, Guinea, Madagascar, Mauritania, Poland, Switzerland, Togo, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Hoërskool Waterkloof High School, Wits University, and a number of institutions and schools related to Francophonie.

The organizers estimate that several thousand participants took part in the this year’s Festival.

The Francophonie is a community of 300 million French-speaking people on five continents. Its goal is to build an area of solidarity based on humanistic and democratic values, respecting the diversity of cultures and languages. Thanks to a common language, the International Organization of the Francophonie (OIF) aims to develop cooperation in the field of politics, education, economy and culture between member states for the benefit of their societies. The organization brings together 88 countries (54 members, 7 associate members and 27 observers). Poland has had the observer status of the International Organization of the Francophonie since 1997.

Photos: Grazyna Koornhof