The many colours of modern-day and traditional cultures of South Africa were at play when the country’s expatriates gathered here to celebrate its 22nd Freedom Day. From signature food to music and dance, it was everything South Africa at Grand Hyatt for the day.
The diaspora were joined by Qatari government officials, members of the diplomatic community and friends from other expatriate communities to mark the big day organised by the South African embassy in Qatar.
The guests were greeted with a showcase of art and craft representing the multiethnic make-up of this only country in the world that officially has 11 languages. South Africa’s Deputy Minister for Arts and Culture Rejoice Mabudafhasi, flying in from South Africa for the occasion, brought with her a cultural music and dance troupe that remained the highlight of the night.    
Greeting the guests, the ambassador of South Africa to Qatar, Saad Cachalia extended greetings to HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, HH The Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and the government and people of Qatar on behalf of President Jacob Zuma, the government and people of South Africa. 
“The relationship between our two countries is as fresh and vibrant as our 22 years old democracy which we celebrate this year on the 27th April,” said the ambassador, addressing the audience. The relationship between the two countries, he said, has been very strong.
“This relationship is a story whose subject matter has been built on the often forgotten yet simple values of trust, mutual respect, friendship, decency and common good,” emphasised Cachalia.
Together with Qataris and other like-minded peoples of the world, he said his country continues to strive to be agents of transformation that seek to break down the structural and artificial barriers that divide the world and create conflict.
The political and economic relations between Qatar and South Africa, said the ambassador, are being consolidated and elevated to higher levels. ‘We thank both HH the Emir and HH The Father Emir for setting the foundation and encouraging the growth of our brotherly relations,” Cachalia added.
Highlighting some of the recent developments, the ambassador said a visit by a South African trade delegation at the end of last year has seen a steady rise in business activity amongst South African and Qatari small and medium business enterprises.
The tourism stats show that South Africa is fast becoming the travel and leisure destination of choice for many people who live in Qatar with the number of visitors increasing by 66% between 2014 and 2015.
Visiting and travelling to South Africa has become easier with more than 20 flights per week between Doha and various destinations in South Africa. Qatar Airways has recently added Durban to its SA destinations.
“South Africa is a tourist paradise. We have sea, mountains, rivers and deserts and each one of these have a unique experience for anybody who wants to come and enjoy swimming with the sharks, bunjee jumping, safaris and hunting experiences,” Cachalia told Community. South Africa gets about 10 million tourists every year.
There are about 6,000 South Africans living in Qatar and there are engineers, finance experts, doctors, nurses and teachers amongst them.
The South African ambassador however, said there were many areas which the two countries could further explore for collaboration, particularly the health, education and defence sectors.
“South Africa is good in medicine. The first heart transplant was performed in South Africa. We found the vaccine for yellow fever. We have got the only laboratory in Africa that can isolate viruses like Ebola and so forth. So health is one area where we can have collaboration,” said Cachalia.
South Africa is very rich in art and culture. In November this year, he said, the embassy intends to organise a one-week cultural festival here which will include all forms of art, visual, audio, theatre and music.
The Garage Dance Ensemble from O’okiep in the Northern Cape of South Africa displayed just a glimpse of his diversity of music and dance in South Africa on the occasion. Coming from a small town in South Africa, the dance ensemble comprising girls and boys, the ensemble aims to challenge and affirm the community’s social practice and belief system, through performance and teaching.
“We do contemporary dances. We call it languages including hip hop, classical ballet, Bharatanatyam and then there is this new hip hop dance form which is sort of B-boying that we have incorporated into our style. So it is not just one dance form, it is a mix that corresponds well with the younger generation,” Byron Klassen, the Senior Dancer from the group, told Community.
They try to blend different styles that appeal to all age groups and all kinds of audiences. The ensemble presents to the people a wide range of dances and in different languages, making it easy for them to understand and they carry the energy and flow.
“Our mentor had the experience of working with a Bharatanatyam dancer in India and he made an effort to invite her to teach the dance form to the younger generation. So he gets masters in the Indian dance forms to come and teach us and we incorporate it into our style,” said the lead dancer.
However, they do not perform it as it is. They mix and match their steps, taking a bit from different dance forms. In their school, said Klassen, they are encouraging the younger generation to learn these dance forms with the aim to make them learn it spiritually and make them better human beings.
“They come to us with their shoulders down and we teach them how to find energy and stand tall in the world and move around with confidence,” said Klassen.
The group, he said, comes from a small town in Northern Cape in South Africa and only started a few years ago. However, they already have dozens of children learning at the school. The ensemble has performed in many places in South Africa, and they have another mega production in Cape Town when they return to South Africa.
Since 2011 Garage Dance Ensemble has produced six productions that have been staged at Dance Umbrella, The Baxter Dance Festival and the National Arts Festival.
The company has received funding to establish a viable full time dance company in O’okiep, aiming to produce cutting edge, internationally competitive work which impacts positively on the communities of both the Namakwa region and the wider province.