Beware of Heritage Day dilution
Previously known as Shaka Day, which paid tribute to the great King Shaka who died on September 24, Heritage Day is a significant day on the South African calendar.
By Malebo Debeila
Previously known as Shaka Day, which paid tribute to the great King Shaka who died on September 24, Heritage Day is a significant day on the South African calendar.
“As a country with 11 official languages, our major commonality is our dynamic diversity and our youth should be encouraged to reflect and embrace Heritage Day,” said Ms Rita Zwane, the founder and MD of Imbizo Shisanyama, the 2013 National Small Business Champion award winner.
Ms Zwane believes the true meaning and significance of Heritage Day, and other important public holidays, is at serious risk of dilution if South Africans continue to prioritise or allow the commercialisation of this day and other important public holidays.
“It would be tragic if due to the linking of Heritage Day to Braai Day that we lost the real meaning and significance behind the public holiday,” said Ms Zwane.
For more than a decade, Ms Zwane has without fail, proudly celebrated the great African lifestyle, culture and heritage with patrons who travel far and wide from across Africa to join in the festivities, remembering cultural roots and celebrating cultural diversity.
“Imagine you ask your child about the June 16 holiday and he or she tells you that it’s soccer fever day, or that December 16 is rugby day, without knowing or understanding how the day changed from Dingane’s Day to Day of Vow, and finally renamed Reconciliation Day in our democracy. It remains our responsibility as citizens to ensure that the commercialisation of these holidays does not rob us of our historical heritage,” said Ms Zwane.
“If we do not take pride in our history and heritage, and share these stories with our children, they will end up being told by international historians and the real meaning and significance is likely to be distorted. If you remember at Mandela’s farewell, Historian James Smith from the United Kingdom was telling the world about Mandela’s biography up to the last day of his life. The question is, where were we as Africans to tell this significant piece of South African history and talk about the legend born on our own soil?”
Ms Zwane believes that South Africans need to be cautious of raising a generation who no longer understands or appreciate their culture, heritage and traditions. Heritage Day must remain a day that reminds people of their identity as Africans, as it is only in understanding where people come from that South Africans can boldly face the challenges of the future.
In an address marking Heritage Day in 1996, former President Nelson Mandela said, “When our first democratically-elected government decided to make Heritage Day one of our national days, we did so because we knew that our rich and varied cultural heritage has a profound power to help build our new nation.”
Now, Heritage Day is at serious risk of losing its intrinsic value with the attention being placed directly on braai (uKosa), rather than the fact that we use a braai in how we celebrate important occasions and events. It is not the braai itself that should be celebrated, but rather our culture and diversity as South Africans. It is then that social cohesion can truly come alive in South Africa.
Heritage Day is a day where differences should unify South Africans and not divide people.
Food has been used as a tradition practised across every country in the world to celebrate memorable occasions and events; in our case as Africans, we stand over an open fire and braai, unifying both family and friends or when there are traditional ceremonies that need to be performed.
“At Imbizo Shisanyama, we will always celebrate the real meaning of Heritage Day in our usual African flair and style,” said Ms Zwane.
