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17 Nov 2010

On 20 November 2010, the Minister of Arts and Culture, Mr Paul Mashatile will be a keynote speaker at the Ambrosetti Forum where he will speak under the theme “Culture for development in emerging countries”. Since 1975, Ambrosetti has been running a forum called "Business strategies: the scenario for today and tomorrow" at Villa d'Este in Cernobbio in the north of Italy. The forum is usually attended by Heads of States, former Heads of States, Ministers, top representatives of European institutions, Nobel laureates and experts from around the world. The forum facilitates discussions on issues of greatest impact on the global economy and society as a whole.

The forum is regarded as the second most important annual management conference in Europe after the Davos conference. The aim of the conference is to create value for participants and promote excellence in business and society, by discussing the main threats and opportunities in the global scenario of today and tomorrow and how they influence business strategies.

Ambrosetti has invited South Africa to the conference for the past five years. The South African government was represented at the level of deputy president and ministers. The year 2010 marks an important milestone because it is for the first time that Ambrosetti Forum organise a conference on Cultural Heritage and Landscapes.

On 17 November 2010, Minister Mashatile opened murals on the walls of Nelson Mandela Forum, an indoor sport facility in Florence, Italy. The murals consist of Ndebele paintings by the highly talented Ms Esther Mahlangu. The painting was done by both young Italian and South African artists. Nothembi Mkhwebane and her son performed at the event. The President of the City of Florence, Dr Eugenio Giani awarded Minister Mashatile the Florentine honour of the Giglio d’Argento.

The minister also opened an exhibition of crafts and a permanent exhibition dedicated to the history of apartheid and the new South African Constitution. The exhibition is in a form of documents, pictures, and footage from the Constitution Hill and Apartheid Museum. On 18 November, Minister Mashatile will have a bilateral meeting with the Minister of Cultural Heritage and Cultural Activities of Italy, His Excellency Sandro Bondi.

Enquiries:
Mack Lewele
Cell: 082 450 5076
Tel: 012 441 3083

Issued by: Department of Arts and Culture
17 Nov 2010

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