10 May, 2014 marked 20 years since Nelson Mandela took the presidential oath of office. The commemoration of the victory of democracy in the Republic of South Africa was an occasion for a ceremonial meeting at the Poznan University of Technology, combined with an exhibition of photographs presenting the country.
Dignitaries invited by Czesław Fiedler, the Honorary Consul of the Republic of South Africa in Poznań included, among others: Rasheeda Adam – Adviser to the Embassy of the Republic of South Africa in Poland, Jadwiga Rotnicka – Senator, Piotr Florek – Provincial governor of Wielkopolska, Wojciech Jankowiak – Deputy Provincial governor of Wielkopolska, Jan Grabkowski – Starost of Poznań, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps and Poznan universities. Poznań University of Technology was represented by: Prof.dr hab. Jacek Goc, Deputy vice chancellor for Education and dr. inż. Janusz Napierała, Chancellor.
All speakers stressed the historical significance of the end of apartheid in South Africa, the birth of democracy, and also called for the strengthening of Poland and South Africa cooperation in the area of economic, political and cultural life. Guests at the ceremony were pleasantly surprised by Ms. Rasheeda Adam, who ended her speech with a few sentences spoken in Polish, referring to the 25the anniversary of democracy in our country.
The official part of the ceremony ended with the presentation of the Hipolita Cegielski Statuette to Czesław Fiedler, for propagating organic work.
