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Germany and South Africa issue joint stamps in honour of Mandela’s 100th birthday
On Nelson Mandela’s 100th anniversary, Germany and South Africa have issued joint stamps to honour the legacy of the first President of a democratic South Africa.
Germany and South Africa issue joint stamps in honour of Mandela’s 100th birthday
On the occasion of Nelson Mandela’s 100th anniversary, Germany and South Africa have issued joint stamps to honour the legacy of the first President of a democratic South Africa.
“We are proud to have collaborated with South Africa in honour of the great Nelson Mandela”, said Deputy Ambassador Klaus Streicher at the launch of the South African stamp at the Department for Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS).
“These stamps are a way of continuously reminding the world about what Mandela stood for, and keeping his mission alive, both in Germany and in South Africa. We must never forget his legacy of peace and reconciliation, and what these two values have done for both nations.”
During the launch event of the South African stamp in Pretoria on July 31, Deputy German Ambassador Streicher and the representative of the Department for International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), Ambassador Ntombizodwa Lallie, exchanged the German and the South African postal stamps. Luzuko Koti from the Nelson Mandela Foundation also acknowledged the efforts of Germany and South Africa to honour the legacy of Nelson Mandela.
In Berlin, a special tribute concert by South Africa’s youth orchestra MIAGI (Music is a Great Investment) took place in honour of the Nelson Mandela centenary on August 2 at the Gendarmenmarkt. During this event, the German stamp was unveiled by the German Finance Ministry.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas acknowledged the legacy of Nelson Mandela during the event, highlighting that “the fight for his rights was always a fight for his dignity.”
Maas also focused on events that marked a watershed in the history of Germany and South Africa: “In the same year that Mandela finally regained his freedom after 27 years of imprisonment, our country overcame its decades of division. German reunification and Mandela’s release in 1990 were moments of hope worldwide.”
The joint stamps highlight the many facets of German-South African cooperation and the strong ties between the two countries. The stamps celebrate the life of Nelson Mandela, who is not only an icon in South Africa but also in Germany and across the world.