As Heritage Month draws to a close, it is a good time to reflect on where we come from while celebrating rich history and traditions.
The South African flag projected onto the facade of the Union Buildings. Picture: GCIS.
As Heritage Month draws to a close, it’s a good time to reflect on where we come from – and fit in – while celebrating living in a country with such a rich history, many traditions and diverse backgrounds.
It’s a time to take stock of the past, while looking ahead to the future to paraphrase this year’s theme.
As Howard Hendricks, managing executive responsible for conservation services at SANParks, points out in a think piece in today’s edition… “a visitor may arrive [at a national park] hoping to see the big five, but also leave with a deeper appreciation for the generations of people whose lives were connected to the land”.
He adds: “In doing so, a visit becomes more than a tourism experience. It becomes an opportunity to better understand SA’s rich and layered historical importance to the world. The value of our national parks lies not only in the wildlife and landscapes we manage, but also in the stories they preserve.”
He closes off with: “These places are more than destinations of natural beauty. They are repositories of identity, memory and belonging.
“In understanding where we come from, we are better equipped to shape where we are going.”
We live in a beautiful country. We’d do well to cherish this, while learning to respect each other as we play our role in shaping a brighter, better future for all.
