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Africa focus: Zuma urges S. Africans to mark Africa Day

Xinhua, May 18, 2015 Adjust font size:

President Jacob Zuma on Monday called upon all South Africans to mark Africa Day 2015 on 25 May in various ways by celebrating South Africa's unique diversity and the country's rich culture and traditions.

"Africa Day provides an opportunity for us to celebrate our African identity," Zuma said. "Our country was isolated for decades from the rest of the continent due to the evil system of apartheid colonialism. We are now a full member of the African continent, and since 1994, our continent is correctly the primary focus of our foreign policy."

Zuma will lead the country's inaugural Africa Day celebrations on May 24 in Mamelodi, Pretoria.

Africa Day is celebrated annually within the African continent to mark the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) on May 25, 1963 and the African Union (AU) in 2002 and the progress made by the continent since then to advance democracy, peace, stability and socio-economic development.

South Africa rejoined the continent and the international community in 1994 following the dawn of freedom and democracy. Africa Day 2015 will therefore mark the celebration of 21 years since the country's reintegration into the OAU/AU and the international community.

Zuma said Africa Day 2015 also provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the contribution of the African continent to South Africa's struggle for liberation. "The OAU contributed immensely to our freedom. Many countries in the continent also provided refuge to many South Africans who went into exile and provided material, social, political and military support. Africa Day thus provides an opportunity to celebrate that African solidarity and to continue expressing it through the ongoing support for many in the continent who are caught up in conflict. It is a day for us to celebrate African solidarity, friendship, a common humanity and destiny," the president said in a statement.

By celebrating the event, South Africa will also reaffirm support for the AU's Agenda 2063 and commit the country to playing its role within the AU to ensure the successful implementation of the vision and plan to build a better Africa, Zuma noted.

South Africa, he said, contributes to peacemaking, peacekeeping and post-war reconstruction and development efforts in the continent.

South Africa also plays a key role in the economic development of the continent through the growing private sector investment in many countries within the continent, Zuma added. Endi