The State of Bihar should use the links created by several indentured labourers, who came to South Africa from 1860 as sugar-cane farm labourers, to boost tourism, a top diplomat of the African country has said.
Dr Anil Sooklal, Deputy Director-General for Asia in the South African Department of International Cooperation and Relations, who is of Bihari origin, said that projects need to be started to get the 1.4 million South Africans of Indian origin to rediscover their roots.
Sooklal made the remarks at a Bihar Diwas event in Johannesburg hosted by Consul General Anju Ranjan, who arranged a linkup with the event which was hosted by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna on Tuesday.
“Between 1860 and 1911, over 152,000 Indians came to South Africa under the indentured scheme. Very often, when we speak of our relations with India, we forget that a sizeable number of Indian South Africans have their roots in Bihar,” Sooklal said.
He added that the state of Bihar should use the links created by indentured labourers, who came to South Africa as sugar-cane farm labourers, to boost tourism.
“This conclave is a good first attempt to demonstrate the strong historical bonds that we have between South Africa and especially the state of Bihar. Cultural connectivity is a very important part of the connectivity between India and South Africa,” Sooklal said as he highlighted that prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, there were over 100,000 visitors from India to South Africa annually, while over 80,000 South Africans visited India.