Jai Ho meets Waka Waka at Africa’s National Day

This time for Africa:
It was an evening of dance, music and laughter when diplomats and politicians came together to celebrate South Africa’s 22nd National Day. Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha was the chief guest for the evening.
Remembering Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela:
The evening began with remembering the freedom struggle of India and South Africa. South African high commissioner France K Morule said, “Our freedom was not free, and it came as a result of countless sacrifices.India occupies a special place in the struggle against apartheid. We also share an icon, Mahatma Gandhiji, who inspired Nelson Mandela to become one of the strongest freedom fighters for our country.”
The South African connect:
Vikramjit Sahney, honorary consul of the Republic of South Africa for Northern India, took the occasion to announce the unveiling of Mandela’s statue in Delhi. “India and South Africa are woven together in terms of shared sentiments, histories and cultural values. We, with the support of the Indian government, will be unveiling a statue of Nelson Mandela on Nelson Mandela Road, hopefully in October, when President Jacob Zuma will be visiting India for the BRICS meet.”
Let’s do some Waka Waka:
Guests at the do started dancing and singing along as the band Rock & Raga began their performance on stage. The band performed to Jai Ho and to our surprise, many South Africans knew the lyrics of the song. As the band started singing Waka Waka (This Time For Africa), the official anthem of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, guests came forward and performed Shakira’s steps from the song.