Cape Town - The South African government has encouraged all communities to celebrate and remember their heritage as 2016 marks the 20-year milestone since Heritage Day was declared a public holiday.
Heritage Day was declared a national day in 1996 when former president Nelson Mandela addressed the nation saying: “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”.
The Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) statement released on Tuesday, said National Heritage Day celebrations would take place on Saturday, September 24 at Galeshewe Stadium in Kimberley under the theme “Celebrating our Human Treasures by Asserting our African Identity”.
Tribute will be paid to South Africa’s living legends for their heroic contribution in affirming the country’s unique cultural identity and their role in preserving living heritage.
“Our Living Legends are individuals who contributed their knowledge, talents and skills in the art and culture sector. Let us celebrate them for their enormous involvement in promoting our unique diverse heritage,” GCIS Acting Director-General Donald Liphoko said.
He urged all South Africans to “take pride in our African identity and play an active role in affirming, promoting and preserving their heritage”.
“The country is known for its rich cultural and ethnic diversity and South Africans need to reclaim and fully assert our identity to ensure that our diverse and unique culture unite us as a nation,” said Liphoko.
All sectors of society have been urged to take part in the Heritage Month campaign and promote the nation’s multicultural national identity.
Liphoko said government had lined up a few exciting initiatives this year “in which we ask all members of society to participate”.
One of these initiatives, he said, was Heritage Fridays.
“All South Africans are encouraged to celebrate Heritage Fridays by ‘living their heritage’ and showcase their traditional attire, music, food, dance, embrace their mother tongues as a way of promoting our African identity,” Liphoko said.
Anyone can support the #LivingMyHeritage campaign by uploading a profile picture of themselves wearing their traditional outfit which they can promote it on their social media accounts with a frame, which could be accessed at http://twibbon.com/Support/livingmyheritage-2.
“Everyone has a living treasure or legend in their proximity, be it a family or a community member. Let us all proudly celebrate and share the stories told or inspired by our living legends,” said Liphoko.
Government also urged communities to engage in conversations and share their knowledge (idioms, proverbs and quotes) to expand everyone’s cultural understanding and create a unified diverse nation. Hashtag #AssertingOurAfricanIdentity
A comprehensive calendar of Heritage Month activities is available at http://www.gov.za/speeches/heritage-month-2016.
African News Agency