SA to host Tamil talks
SOUTH AFRICA has won the rights to host the Second International Conference on the Tamil Diaspora in 2016.
This was announced at the innaugral conference held in Mauritius last week.
The South African Tamil Federation (SATF) produced the winning bid after delivering a detailed presentation.
South Africa was selected as host nation over 30 other countries, which included Canada, Malaysia and Mauritius.
The main theme of the conference was centred on the preservation of Tamil culture, given that isolated Diaspora communities often preserve their cultural heritage.
The President of the South African Tamil Federation Karthigesan Moothsamy said each Tamil Diaspora community had to wage it’s own struggle over generations to achieve economic prosperity while preserving cultural identity and ancestral traditions.
“Each has its own stories of how they have overcome obstacles peculiar to their adopted homeland.
“Despite their relative isolation from their native land, they have preserved and nurtured their multifaceted religious traditions and other cultural elements for posterity,” said Moothsamy.
Several strategic partnerships between the SATF and their counterparts in Mauritius and Reunion Island were also forged.
This included a bilateral meeting with the Minister of Arts and Culture of Mauritius, Mookhesswur Choonee, which resulted in a signed agreement on behalf of the Mauritian Government to host a South African music and dance troupe in Mauritius.
A memorandum of understanding was also signed between the SATF, the Tamil Federation of Reunion Island and the Tamil Federation of Mauritius with regard to promoting and strengthening the working relationship between the three countries.
Moothsamy said he was excited at the opportunity to host the conference.
“We are looking forward to welcoming the Tamil Diaspora to South Africa in 2016.
“This conference will be a huge milestone for the South African Tamil community.”