24 Feb 2010 Cape Town lights the way in international Landmark Lighting initiative

The V&A Waterfront, together with Rotary District 9350 – the local leg of Rotary International which is focused on eradicating polio in Africa – joined five other countries on February 23rd – Cape Town’s official Rotary Day - in a global landmark lighting event to heighten awareness of the fight against polio.

Set against the iconic backdrop of Table Mountain, the historic Old Port Captain’s Office at the V&A Waterfront is one of the Mother City’s most prominent landmarks. It was chosen by Rotary to join the Wrigley Building in Chicago, the Galacia Cathedral in Spain, the Egyptian Pyramids, Buenos Aires’ Obelisk and the Taipei Arena in Taiwan in a lightning display that saw the message of “End Polio Now” projected onto the lit landmarks’ facades at sunset. Later on in the evening, a soccer ball signed by Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu, who is a polio survivor, was kicked symbolically to signal the “Kick Polio Out of Africa” relay. The ball will travel from Cape Town and visit 22 African countries where it will be signed by local soccer stars before arriving in Montreal in June, where the 2010 Rotary International Convention conference will take place.