Joburg hosts international language and cultural fest
21 April 2016
Fifty international students converged on Johannesburg this week for the 14th International Festival of Language and Culture (IFLC) – the first time the annual event was held in Africa.
Started in Turkey in 2003 with only 17 countries participating, the IFLC is the largest and most prominent organisation promoting world languages and culture.
The number of participating countries has since ballooned to 146, with a total of 2 000 individual participants from five continents. The festival seeks to create a platform for the youth to share their cultural heritage with their peers around the world. The 50 international delegates were joined in the two-day festival by members of the City’s Junior Mayoral Committee, language students and learners from Orlando West High School in Soweto.
Fifteen countries participated in the festival. Some of the countries represented included Ukraine, Germany, Mozambique, India, Malawi, Ghana, the Philippines and Madagascar. The delegates mingled with one another and engaged in choral and cultural activities, among other things.
The festival was hosted by the City of Johannesburg’s Department of Community Development in partnership with the Gauteng Provincial Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, the National Arts Council of South Africa, Star Colleges, Turquoise Harmony Institute and SATBA. At a dinner on Wednesday night, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Finance Cllr Geoffrey Makhubo, who was standing in for Executive Mayor Cllr Parks Tau, said the City was proud to host the 14th edition of the IFLC.
“By being part of this IFLC, all of us here, from various countries and backgrounds, imbued with the spirit of cultural renaissance, once more demonstrate that we are indeed a world united in our languages and cultural diversity,” he said.
The MMC said by holding this cultural festival "we broke down the barriers of racism, tribalism and xenophobia, language and cultural differences".
“Through interaction by academics, researchers, cultural and language experts we’ve the glorious adventure of researching, discussing, exploring and experiencing each other’s ways of life. We’re humbled by the presence of all of you in this festival,” he said.
A teacher at Orlando West High School, Benjamin Chiloane, said his school was humbled to have been selected to participate at this year's festival. He said the school had several learners who belonged to a reading club and hoped they had learnt a thing or two by being part of the festival and meeting with people from around the world.
On Thursday April 21 the participants were due to attend a function at the Joburg Theatre in Braamfontein.