south africa

Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa says the much-anticipated film Mandela's Gun will be released in the first quarter of 2016. Mthethwa is busy drumming up support for Africa Day next year, where he signed agreements with counterparts in the fields of film cooperation, oral history and cultural exchange programs. He says they will be using cultural diplomacy to forge people-to-people relations.

The South African documentary, Miners Shot Down, on Monday night walked away with the International Emmy award for best documentary. The film covers the 2012 Marikana massacre when mineworkers in one of South Africa's biggest platinum mines began a wildcat strike for better wages. Six days later, the police used live ammunition to brutally suppress the strike, killing 34 and injuring many more.

Selma director Ava DuVernay is brining new cinema to our shores. This month, her distribution company, ARRAY, is releasing the South African coming-of-age drama Ayanda in theaters in Los Angeles and New York. Ayanda—starring Terry Pheto, star of the Oscar-winning South African indie Tsotsi—tells the story of a young woman who is willing to do anything to keep her father's legacy alive.

The public will get an opportunity to learn more about countries accredited to South Africa when they showcase their cultural diplomacy at the Union Buildings. The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), in partnership with the City of Tshwane, will host the Annual Diplomatic Fair.

South Africa ranks at number 37 with a nett nation brand value of US$ 225bn. [...] These numbers tell a story about South Africa. They tell us that the South African nation brand is strong and resilient and after a mere 21 years of democracy, the nation can compete with the world's most developed countries. South Africa's brand competitiveness is more than just a series of numbers, it is a brand reality that is experienced and lived by citizens, visitors, investors. 

PD News headlines this week explored the power of visual storytelling.

In his native South Africa, Noah's debut was widely hailed as a smash hit, with South Africa’s foreign minister taking time out of her schedule at the United Nations General Assembly to visit the comedian in his new New York studio. Having a South African host the show, said Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, is not funny business - it’s cultural diplomacy.

With a dizzying flurry of oil paints, watercolors, silkscreen & monotype printing techniques, charcoal, and ink, artist Nelson Makamo captures the daily life of South African children as reflected in their charismatic faces. […]Makamo has exhibited in numerous group and solo shows in South Africa, France, Italy, the U.S., The Netherlands and Scotland over the last few years.

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