Dante Alighieri in South Africa

The Dante Alighieri Society promotes the learning of the Italian language and culture within South Africa. It also offers classes and lessons on the Florentine poet, author of the Divine Comedy; acting as a reference point to their past for the thousands of Italian immigrants in South Africa.

Relations between Italy and South Africa: the Società Dante Alighieri

There are tens of thousands Italians who live permanently in the Republic of South Africa. Although the phenomenon took place in the nineteenth century, emigration from Italy to South Africa has seen the largest flow after the Second World War and now the Italian community in South Africa is larger than ever.

The Dante Alighieri Society has four locations throughout the country to best serve Italian immigrants: in Johannesburg (http://www.ladantejhb.co.za/), Durban (http://www.dantedurban.com/), Pietermaritzburg (http://www.dantepietermaritzburg.com/) and Cape Town (http://www.ladante.co.za/).

The Dante Alighieri Society in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.

Teachers and educators of Dante present themselves as a bridge between the two cultures, as a point of reference for all the Italian immigrants or South African citizens who wish to keep alive the interest and knowledge of the values, heritage and language in South Africa.

Founded in 1889 by an idea of Carducci, the Dante Alighieri Society has more than 400 locations around the world. Its presence is essential to ensure and maintain cultural ties with Italy and the rest of the world.

The first seat of the Dante Alighieri Society in South Africa was founded in 1920 by Louis Facts, who emigrated to South Africa for business reasons: the export of Italian food products. Since then, he has organized several courses and events, aimed at both children and adults who are interested in learning Italian or simply to experience the rich culture, history, and contemporary lifestyle of the Bel Paese.

Dante Alighieri, the father of the Italian language

Could an institution with such a great responsibility and daring mission choose a more appropriate name? Dante Alighieri, the poet who wrote the Divine Comedy, one of the most famous Italian literary masterpieces, appreciated and studied all over the world. He is confirmed as the person who best represents the Italian culture abroad and, therefore, also in South Africa.

The Dante Alighieri Society, in addition to the teaching of Italian language and culture, is also engaged in the dissemination of important contributions, innovations, and changes made to the history of Dante, especially with regard to his role in literature.

The Dante Alighieri Society of Cape Town's banner. 

The Florentine poet Dante Alighieri is also known as the father of the Italian language. This prestigious award was bestowed upon him because he decided to write the Divine Comedy in Italian, specifically in the Florentine dialect used in 1300. At that time, most literary works were written in Latin, while he chose the vernacular that was considered the basis of the Italian language.

The D.A.S also promotes the knowledge of his writings, in particular, the Divine Comedy. For those interested to know in detail the initiatives of the Dante Alighieri Society, can be found on the Internet ( www.ladante.it ).