Order of Ikhamanga

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The Order of Ikhamanga (German roughly: "Ikhamanga-Orden") is a South African order . It was introduced on November 30, 2003 and is awarded annually by the President of the Republic of South Africa to South African citizens for achievements in the fine arts, culture, literature, music, journalism and sport.

The medal comes in three classes:

  • Gold (OIG) for exceptional performance ( exceptional achievement )
  • (Silver (OIS) for excellence achievement excellent )
  • Bronze (OIB) for outstanding achievements ( outstanding achievement )

Ikhamanga is the isiXhosa word for the plant genus Strelitzia .

design

The egg-shaped medal shows two strelitzia, a rising sun or crown, a " Lydenburg head " - based on the oldest known African sculptures - an African drum, three concentric circles and two streets. The Strelitzia as the main characteristic stand for the "unique beauty" that South Africans produce with outstanding achievements, the head stands for the fine arts, the sun or crown for fame, the circles symbolize sport, and the streets stand for the way to Africa, the "cradle of humanity" and the long road to excellence. The coat of arms of South Africa is shown on the back .

All three variants of the order are worn around the neck. The collar is gold colored with four cream colored lines on each edge and a pattern of recurring dancer figures. The order was designed by the graphic designer Charles Peter Gareth Smart , who lives in Pretoria .

Medal bearer

gold

silver

bronze

Others

In 2011, the photographer David Goldblatt refused to receive the order for political reasons.

literature

  • South African Government Gazette. No. 25799 (December 2, 2003)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Order of Ikhamanga . In: The Presidency , Republic of South Africa. Archived from the original on April 20, 2007. Retrieved June 12, 2014. 
  2. ↑ Description on the website of the South African President (English, PDF), accessed on June 15, 2014
  3. ↑ Information on the designers of the South African orders on the government website (English), accessed on February 14, 2016
  4. ^ Goldblatt's letter to Zuma. Mail & Guardian dated November 25, 2011, accessed June 18, 2014