The Limpopo Provincial Government led by Social Development MEC Ms. Florence Radzilani, representing Premier Dr. Phophi Ramathuba, in conjunction with the University of Limpopo (UL) and the provincial Department of Sports, Arts and Culture have commemorated the formation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), known as Africa Day. <\/p>\n
The OAU was an intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments.
\nOne of the main heads for OAU’s establishment was Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana. <\/p>\n
It was disbanded on 9 July 2002 by its last chairperson, South Africa\u2019s then President Thabo Mbeki, and replaced by the African Union (AU) with Some of the key aims being to encourage political and economic integration among member states, and to eradicate colonialism and neo-colonialism from the African continent. <\/p>\n
The 63rd edition of the Africa Day celebrations were held at the University of Limpopo under the theme: \u201cSport and Culture as Catalysts for Climate Action.\u201d
\nThis theme speaks directly to the African Union\u2019s 2026 focus on \u201cWater Security, Climate Resilience and Sustainable Development.\u201d<\/p>\n
MEC Radzilani reckons that this is precisely why sports and culture must become powerful instruments of mobilization, education and transformation.
\nRadzilani further emphasized that sports and culture are not solely forms of entertainment or recreation, but they are among the most influential tools available to unite communities and inspire social change.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen young people gather on soccer fields, netball courts, rugby grounds and athletic tracks, they create spaces of influence, discipline and unity. When communities gather through traditional music, poetry, storytelling and dance, they strengthen social cohesion and preserve indigenous knowledge systems that have guided African societies for generations. Imagine local sporting tournaments becoming platforms for river clean-up campaigns and environmental awareness. Imagine cultural festivals becoming centers for climate education and water conservation advocacy. Imagine our athletes, artists, musicians and traditional leaders becoming ambassadors for environmental protection and climate resilience.\u201d Radzilani said <\/p>\n
MEC Radzilani believes the future of Africa depends on the ability to unite around a common vision of peace, development and prosperity. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe must never forget that as Africans we are connected by shared values, shared struggles and shared aspirations. As the great Pan-Africanist Kwame Nkrumah once said: \u201cAfrica is one continent, one people and one destiny.\u201d She added <\/p>\n
MEC Radzilani has also urged Africans to believe that the time has come for them to stop underestimating themselves and doubt their own capabilities. <\/p>\n
\u201cFor far too long, our continent has been conditioned to believe that progress and solutions must come from elsewhere. We have exported our raw materials, our talent and even our confidence while importing dependency and underdevelopment. Radzilani concluded <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Limpopo Provincial Government led by Social Development MEC Ms. Florence Radzilani, representing Premier Dr. Phophi Ramathuba, in conjunction with the University of Limpopo (UL) and the provincial Department of Sports, Arts and Culture have commemorated the formation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), known as Africa Day. The OAU was an intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments. One of the main heads for OAU’s establishment was Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana. It was disbanded on 9 July 2002 by its last chairperson, South Africa\u2019s then President Thabo Mbeki, and replaced\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":4}},"featured_image_urls":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":"","bsk-pdf-dashboard-list-thumbnail":""},"post_excerpt_stackable":"
The Limpopo Provincial Government led by Social Development MEC Ms. Florence Radzilani, representing Premier Dr. Phophi Ramathuba, in conjunction with the University of Limpopo (UL) and the provincial Department of Sports, Arts and Culture have commemorated the formation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), known as Africa Day. The OAU was an intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments. One of the main heads for OAU’s establishment was Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana. It was disbanded on 9 July 2002 by its last chairperson, South Africa\u2019s then President Thabo Mbeki, and replaced…<\/p>\n","category_list":"News<\/a>","author_info":{"name":"Maano Nekhavhambe","url":"https:\/\/www.limpopo.gov.za\/?author=7"},"comments_num":"0 comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.limpopo.gov.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9148"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.limpopo.gov.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.limpopo.gov.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.limpopo.gov.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.limpopo.gov.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9148"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.limpopo.gov.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9148\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9149,"href":"https:\/\/www.limpopo.gov.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9148\/revisions\/9149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.limpopo.gov.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.limpopo.gov.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.limpopo.gov.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}