Our new heritage in SA should be celebration of strength in diversity

People from across the world were drawn to the land of opportunity, which pledged, as the plaque on the Statue of Liberty says: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”

The sum of America’s polyglot group of settlers was indeed bigger than its whole – and while people remembered their heritage, they built a new identity as Americans.

While that national unity is under strain these days, it is still apposite to point out that South Africa is similar in many ways.

Most of us are settlers, in one way or another. Yet, combined, we hold out a promise not only of unity, but of strength.

That is why, as we look back at National Heritage Day, let’s not dismiss the sentiment or trivialise it.

We should all be proud of where we came from – but we should not allow the rabble-rousers to use those differences to drive wedges between us as South Africans.

We should never forget our heritage but we should focus our energies on building a new one – as South Africans – for those who follow us.