The South African Embassy in Rome hosted a high-profile Food, Wine and Culture and Economic Festival in Taormina, Sicily, Italy, from 1 to 2 October 2016.
The occasion was supported by the Municipality of Taormina as well as the Branch: Public Diplomacy. South Africa’s popular band Mafikizolo performed to a large audience of tourists who visit Sicily in substantial numbers at this time of the year.
This project, which took four months to put together, was labelled “Edition zero”, signifying that it was the start of much more to come. It is anticipated that a similar event will be held annually as part of the Sicilian tourism calendar.
The Economic Seminar, which focused on Operation Phakisa and opportunities for trade and investment in the South African Blue Economy Sector, attracted an impressive number of representatives of business and local and regional government from Sicily. The Embassy has already received a lot of interest from the business sector, which wishes to engage more and be linked to relevant stakeholders in South Africa for purposes of establishing meaningful partnerships for cooperation.
The South African Embassy has increased its footprint in Italy through this event and intends to continue working to further strengthen and expand economic and cultural exchanges in all parts of the country.
Issued by the South African Embassy in Rome
Via Tanaro, 14
5 october 2016