Two Bits

This week our country celebrates Heritage Day. You may well ask, what’s that?
The only part of the country that has a defined history of heritage celebration is this province. It used to be Shaka Day, when Zulu traditionalists gathered in their thousands at King Shaka’s grave in Stanger to pay homage to the man who forged the Zulu nation 200 years ago from the many tribes living east of the Drakensberg.
When the new public holidays were defined post 1994, Shaka Day was left out, to howls of protest from Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi and his Inkatha Freedom Party. So a compromise was reached and this Heritage Day was added.
If you’ve never been to a Shaka celebration, screw up your courage and go. Most whites are afraid that they will be chucked out or worse. Yes, you probably will be singled out – with astonishment and happiness that you’ve made the effort. There is lots and lots of singing, dancing and traditional attire, much of it fast disappearing. Go and see Zulu impis showing off authentic dance moves before everyone becomes urbanised and forgets their roots.
It’s been held in Stanger for ever and a day, but this year it will be in Durban for a joint celebration: 200 years since he ascended to the throne, and the 45th year of the reign of King Goodwill Zwelethini.
People around the world celebrate their cultures, some every day, some only on special occasions. Zulus aside, the rest of our fellow countrymen are at a bit of a loss to picture their cultural heritage, or how to show it off on that particular day. Indians express their culture many times through the year in dress, food and religion and whites do it through arts and music festivals, I suppose. But to provide a command performance on one day of the year, most prefer to braai, go to the beach and spend time with family and friends.
It’s a blank canvas for many. We here at The Courier want to develop this time into a celebration of identity that will allow all of us to contribute to what makes us South Africans.
For this heritage weekend in the Ballito area, there will be braaing and music at Sugar Rush  on Saturday and on Sunday, a bass fishing competition to raise funds for our North Coast Courier Orphan Fund. Rose and the team have raised R3.2 million to help make education possible for disadvantaged children and orphans and I can think of no better way to contribute to making our society richer.
Recently I read three books that have affected my thinking of South Africa’s cultural history. First was a biography of Jan Smuts – Afrikaner, Rhodes scholar, Boer commando leader, prime minister, world statesman and friend of kings who was loved and hated in equal measure by his own countrymen. Then two books on the history of shipwrecks along the Wild Coast: The Caliban Shore and The Sunburnt Queen, the first an account of the wreck of The Grosvenor and the fate of its survivors, the second a broader narrative of the absorption of  castaways of many nations into Pondo and Xhosa tribes. Lastly was by way of personal experience, our recent holiday in the Northern Cape and Richtersveld, where I learned something of the troubled and varied histories of the Nama, Khoi and Baster peoples.
You can choose to think this nation comes out of a cagefight between Africa and the rest of the world, or a rich blend of cultures, beliefs, traditions and religions – or both. Every nation has a history of culture clash, of invaders and subjugation, of revolt. Europe was a seething war zone a few hundred years ago and although today European nations exhude stability and a superior attitude, ours has been scrapping in the dirt a little more recently and still bears the bruises.
Whichever – we think it’s time to honour the past but look forward to the future, and it is our belief that education is going to be key to our survival. Do whatever takes your fancy this heritage Saturday – Shaka, braai, beach or chill – then come and join us this Sunday at Dudley Pringle dam and help a good cause. Whatever the weather, the bass won’t care, so it will not be raining at the dam.
Bring the family, catch the tagged fish and win R5000. Sunday could be your lucky day! Enter online at northcoastcourier.co.za or at Hook, Line & Sinker. See the advert on page 10.
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Well, Telkom certainly has upped its game in this neck of the woods. I sms’d a fault because a high truck has taken out my ADSL line yet again. I had a callback the same day, followed by a couple of texts telling me that help was on the way. Next day a very helpful technician came round, fixed it and had lots of suggestions on how to resolve the problem long term. He even left me his number in case there was another problem.
I’m impressed.

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Husband brings the child home from kindergarten and asks his wife, “He’s been crying the whole way home. Is he sick or something?”
“No,” replies the wife, “he was just trying to tell you he isn’t our Frankie.”