At the recently held Africa Day celebration, delegates discussed India-Africa ties and safety of African students in India. By S Naseer
With the killing of a Congolese youth in the capital few days ago which had lead the African Envoys to become defensive in attending the ‘Africa Day’ scheduled on May 26 by ICCR, Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh met the representatives of African heads of missions to assuage their concerns. And Africa Day, hosted by ICCR, was celebrated with the theme ‘India – Africa: Bound Together’ at Azad Bhawan in good spirit despite the shadow cast by recent events. “We stand firm on the path of development with our African friends,” Singh said while inaugurating a cultural show held as part of the Africa Day celebrations organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) here. “We have our doors open for what we can give them and what they desire they can take from us,” he added.
Starting off with a panel discussion where the dignitaries shared their concerns and the solutions for the same lead by the former foreign secretary Shashank, who shed some light on the history between India and Africa. “Africans and the Indians have an old tradition of sharing things. There is a need for cooperation. Our attitudes are constantly being challenged by globalisation and so we rise to the expectations of our own people. It can only be achieved through the ambassadors present here and the African students who are in India as well as our own students in African countries. Recently I was talking to the ambassador of Rwanda. They are sending hundreds of their students to Bangalore on their own! ICCR is filling only one small portion,” he said.
His speech was followed by Virendra Gupta, former DG, ICCR, who highlighted the need to sensitise the youth of India on the traditional relationship that India shares with Africa. “We are all aware of the unfortunate incident that recently took place and which cannot be brushed aside easily. There have been such incidents in different parts of our country and we need to introspect,” said Gupta. He further talked about the unique relationship between the two countries and added, “Both countries have a special people to people connection, warmth, and empathy for we have seen the same oppression and the struggle for freedom.” He laid special emphasis on the importance of human resources and the crucial role of African students coming to India to study.
The acting High Commissioner of Nigeria, Sola Enikanolaiye, spoke about the need of partnership sustenance with India. He also said that it is paramount that Africans feel safe in India, and don’t fear for their lives. Referring to the recent incident, he urged for concrete actions for prosecution against the culprits. Highlighting the need for extended visas for African students, he put forward the appeal to the government of India to grant this request as it not only wastes their time but also hinders the studies of the students who have to go back until the visa is renewed. High Commissioner of the Republic of Rwanda, Ernest Rwamucyo, highlighted the importance of trade and the role of the private sectors in promoting it. He stressed upon the fact that around 84 per cent imports in India from Africa are raw materials and that there is a need to invest in manufacturing sector there, too. He talked about the investment required in the economic partnership to help take development in both nations forward.
The panel discussion was followed by the inauguration of the exhibition of African paintings, artefacts et al.