Thousands attend Turkish Festival in Johannesburg


Date posted: October 22, 2013

Thousands of people have attended the fourth Turkish Culture and Food Festival at the Zoo Lake, a popular lake and public park in Johannesburg.

“I feel like am in Turkey today,” Janet Lerato, one of the festival attendees, told the Anadolu Agency.

The festival held on Saturday and Sunday, features Turkish folk dancing, performance by the famed Mehter band, calligraphy and famous cuisine.

“I love their rich culture especially the military band,” added Lerato.

The Mehter band excited many at the festival as it played traditional military songs.

For centuries, the Mehter Band performance had accompanied the marching Ottoman army into battle.

Lerato said the festival has inspired her, adding that she was already thinking about taking a holiday trip to Turkey.

Many Turkish companies exhibited their products at the festival, including the country’d flag-carrier air company Turkish Airlines, Turquoise Harmony Institute, the Horizon Educational Trust and the Fountain Educational Trust.

The annual gala’s organizing committee was headed by the South African-Turkish Business Association (SATBA) and supported by other organizations established by Turkish nationals in South Africa.

Students from Turkish-owned schools in South Africa performed Turkish folk dances to the amazement of the audience.

“I couldn’t imagine that black South African students can sing and dance like the Turkish people,” Rosemary Nomfundo, one the spectators, told the AA during the festival.

“This is so interesting.”

The family-friendly carnival offered facilities for children to play and ride on horses while the adults checked exhibitions by authentic Turkish artists, stage performers and food stalls.

There were long queues particularly at stands selling Turkish cuisine.

“This is the first time I taste Turkish food and it tastes so nice,” Omar Okocha, a Nigerian national living in South Africa, told the AA.

He said he stood for over 25 minutes in the queue just to buy and taste the shish Kebabs.

Serkan Ergul, the festival coordinator, said thousands of people have visited the festival until midday Sunday.

South Africa’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Ebrahim Ebrahim and Deputy Tourism Minister Tokozile Xasa are expected to attend the closing ceremony later this evening.

Source: World Bulletin , October 13, 2013


Related News

Rumi Forum chooses solutions to problems for essay contest

The Rumi Forum, an international organization established by Turks living in Washington, D.C., to foster intercultural dialogue, has chosen the Hizmet movement and solutions to today’s problems as the topic for this year’s essay contest.

Ramadan meal iftar helps Muslims break religious, cultural barriers with guests

“May God accept your fasting,” Turkish-American host Fuat Aksoy said as each member of his family bit into a date palm — together breaking their Ramadan fast.

South Africa to host 14th International Festival of Language and Culture

The 14th International Festival of Language and Culture, South Africa, IFLCSA, will be held this April twenty first, at the Nelson Mandela Theatre in Johannesburg. The Festival is the largest and most prominent global project for promoting world languages and cultures.

A Ramadan Birthday Dinner

Dates, rice and eggplant moussaka for birthday dinner? It works. A recent birthday of mine happened to coincide with a long-planned Ramadan Interfaith Iftar Dinner co-hosted by Pacifica Institute and Calvary Presbyterian Church in San Francisco. Since I was minimally involved in the planning and execution of the event, and maximally involved in the birthday, […]

Bringing Peace While Breaking Fasts

During the month of Ramadan iftars, or fast-breaking meals, are an important way to strengthen relations in the community.

Turkish Cultural Center opens in New Hampshire

Turkish Cultural Center New Hampshire opened it doors at a ceremony held in Manchester on Saturday with the participation of Governor Maggie Hassan, many state politicians, and businessmen. On Saturday, Governor Maggie Hassan joined Council of Turkic American Associations (CTAA) President Furkan Kosar, and Turkish Cultural Center New Hampshire (TCCNH) President Eyup Sener as well […]

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

Washington Post on Erdoğan’s purge: Cruel frenzy in march towards authoritarianism

Gulen movement shows faith can purify reason

AKP turns medical university into its headquarters

Bank Asya’s corporate governance rating increases

Australian Catholic University Gulen Chair Launch

Picture of Turkish president Erdogan as Hitler projected onto Berlin embassy

AK Party’s social media instructions to ministries raise questions of legality

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News