Kazakhstan and South Africa Celebrate the Pearl Anniversary of their relations by commemorating legacy by arranging an essay competition for South African schools on The Legacy Of Great Sufi Leader And Turkic Poet- Ahmed Yassawi

𝗧𝘀𝗵𝘄𝗮𝗻𝗲 (𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮) – 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗴, 𝟱 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮. Kazakhstan and South Africa today celebrate the 30th Anniversary, the Pearl Jubilee of their friendship. Yet, they established full-fledged diplomatic relations on 5 March 1992.

This year Kazakh Embassy decided to commemorate the Pearl Jubilee of our diplomatic relations in a very unusual manner. Between October 2021 and February 2022 we have organized in partnership with the Yunus Emre Institute and Turkish Cultural Centre in South Africa, under the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) aegis, with support from the Council of Muslim Theologians (Jamiatul Ulama) of South Africa, the G-Global Africa, the Thembikile Mandela Foundation, AWQAF, AMKA Products, International Knowledge Foundation South Africa, Two Lights Foundation and other institutions and entities, a unique contest – Essay Competition for South African schools on the legacy of Great Sufi Leader and Turkic Poet – Ahmed Yassawi

(1093-1166), dedicated also both – to his 855th Demise Anniversary (2021) and upcoming 930th Birth Anniversary (2023).

Last year Ahmed Yasawi’s (𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒: 𝑆𝑎𝑦𝑦𝑖𝑑 𝐾ℎ𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑗𝑎 𝐴ℎ𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑌𝑎𝑠𝑎𝑤𝑖, 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑝𝑜𝑝𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑠: 𝐻𝑎𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖-𝑇𝑢𝑟𝑘𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛 𝑜𝑟 𝐻𝑎𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖-𝑆𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑛) native city of Turkestan, located in Southern Kazakhstan, was proclaimed the Spiritual Capital of the Turkic World.

H.E. Mr Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan, while calling for the revival of Turkic Civilization, highlighted, that this process should begin, above all, with the promotion of Yasawi’s legacy and presentation of sacred Spiritual Capital of the Turkic World to the entire world.

As such, on 3 March 2022, Kazakhstan Embassy in Pretoria in partnership with Yunus Emre Institute, hosted in Johannesburg Turkish Cultural Centre the Special Event dedicated to the Pearl Jubilee of Kazakh-South African Friendship. It was arranged with the Award Ceremony by the results of the Essay Competition for South African schools dedicated to the legacy of Great Sufi Leader and Ahmed Yassawi, in the framework of the celebration of the 30th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Kazakhstan and South Africa.

The host (Ambassador of Kazakhstan H.E. Mr Kanat Tumysh) and co-host (Ambassador of Turkey H.E. Ms Ayşegül Kandaş) made their welcoming addresses. Kazakh Ambassadors outlined bilateral relations with South Africa and made a short presentation on the legacy of Ahmed Yassawi. Turkish Ambassador presented the Yunus Emre Institute and Turkish Cultural Centre in South Africa and made Her Excellency’s felicitations on the occasion of the Pearl Jubilee of Friendship and Cooperation of Kazakhstan and South Africa. Kazakh and Turkish Ambassadors congratulated each other on the 30th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Kazakhstan and Turkey, commemorated on 2 March 2022. They thereby demonstrated their strong unity, kinship affinity, sibling bonds, and strategic partnership within the Organization of Turkic States. Honourable Mr Yamin Jafarov, Chargé d’Affaires of Azerbaijan, also attended the Special Event as a full-fledged member of the OTS, along with H.E. Mr Arshad Omar Esmaeel, Ambassador of Iraq, Dean of the Turkic Speaking Group (𝑎𝑠 𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑛𝑖𝑐 𝑇𝑢𝑟𝑘𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛).

The Guest of Honour of the Special Event was Honourable H.E. Ms Sindiswa Mququ, Acting DDG of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), who made Her Excellency’s speech and congratulations on behalf of the South African Government.

The Special Guests were Honourable Mr Sharif Pandor, CEO, Ikamva Investments Holdings, and Honourable Professor Ndileka Mandela, CEO, Thembekile Mandela Foundation, Chair of the G-Global Africa.

The Program Director was Honourable Sheikh Abdulkader Kurtha, leader of the Christoburg/Erasmia Muslim community of South Africa.

This year’s winners of the Essay Competition, among others, were:

1. Ms Sikhweza Ayabulela (Clarkebury, Eastern Cape, South Africa – Agricultural School);
2. Mr Farhan Karimov (Tajikistan-South Africa – Al Ghazali College);
3. Ms Nuriya Alli (Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa – Al Ghazali College).

𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓’𝒔 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔, 𝒎𝒆𝒅𝒂𝒍𝒔, 𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒈𝒊𝒇𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚:

• H.E. Mr Kanat K. Tumysh, Ambassador of Kazakhstan
• H.E. Ms Ayşegül Kandaş, Ambassador of Turkey
• H.E. Ms Sindiswa Mququ, Acting DDG, DIRCO
• Honourable Mr Sharif Pandor, CEO, Ikamva Invest. Holdings
• Honourable Professor Ndileka Mandela, CEO, Thembekile Mandela Foundation, Chair of G-Global Africa
• H.E. Mr Mubarak Salim Ali Al-Zakwani, Ambassador of Oman, Dean of the Arab Group
• H.E. Mr Mohamad Nizan Bin Mohamad, High Commissioner of Malaysia, Deputy Dean of the Asian Group
• H.E. Ms Mairin J. Moreno-Merida, Ambassador of Venezuela, Dean of the Latin American Group.
• Honourable Mr Abdulkader Kurtha on behalf of the AMKA Group
• Dr Asadullah Karimov, Ad Hoc Consultant of Kazakhstan Embassy to South Africa and Coordinator of Kazakhstan National Essay Competition for South African Schools for 2022.