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Programme Director, The Principal Prof G. Nkondo,
Members of the University Council,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen:

This African Arts Festival comes at a time when our commitment to an African Renaissance is resolute. An African Renaissance is a clarion call for us all to revive the cultural, social and economic fortunes that once defined our continent.

According to history, ancient civilisation can be traced back to Africa. Archaeological findings prove that the first known living organisms formed in Barberton, so we can claim to be the source of all life on earth. In addition, we are without doubt the pioneers of ancient civilisation. It was at Egypt that the art of writing began and archaeology has proved that Egyptian Sphinx - human-like lions - and the pyramids have historic connections to our Great Zimbabwe ruins, Mapungubwe and Thulamela.

It was at Mapungubwe that Africans displayed their skill of gold beneficiation and sculptured the Golden Rhino and traded ivory with Arab merchants. Today, Venda legend has it that a white lion guards the Thathe Sacred Forest. The legend is but a small remnant of our ancient civilisation, a legacy we are tremendously proud of.

Programme Director:

Festivals of this nature will create awareness and appreciation of the role of the indigenous people in civilisation. That they will also serve as an inspiration to the present generations to utilise arts and crafts as instruments for societal transformation.

Societal transformation must be aimed at finding and reclaiming back the things that once made Africa a great power. A true African Renaissance. As in ancient times, we have a historic obligation to bring light to the world that has fallen captive to man-made inventions at the expense of maintaining harmony between humans and nature. To achieve this rather daunting objective, we ourselves need a cultural, moral, political and social re-armament.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Through legends and myths, our culture has, over centuries, enabled our people to back nature's gifts to us. Our ancestors were able to promote water and forestry conservation by creating myths and legends prohibiting unauthorised visits to Lake Fundudzi and forbidding the chopping of firewood at Thathe Sacred Forest. At the heart of African mythology and legends are the ideals of conservation, co-existence with nature and co-creation with mother earth.

Is it not significant that this festival takes place when the Netshiavha clan visit and make offerings to MUDZIMU, asking for blessings in the coming season? September is also South Africa's month for tourism. This is the time to market our heritage. The promotion of our national symbols includes the promotion of our heritage; our coat of arms is in fact a symbol of that heritage. Let us reclaim our heritage.

Mr Principal:

Institutions of higher learning such as the University of Venda are faced with a challenge of leading the process of reclaiming the African heritage as part of an African Renaissance. An African Renaissance will not happen unless African institutions of higher learning redefine our knowledge systems and technology.

Our knowledge systems need to be characterised by that which is African. In this regard, we hope that this African Arts Festival will not only serve to promote indigenous arts and culture. But within the context of the on-going curriculum content restructuring process, focus your priority attention to the re-introduction and integration of the African value systems and indigenous knowledge into the curricula of our institutions of education.

This is a great challenge for the University of Venda that is repositioning itself as a university of science and technology. Your promotion of science and technology must be embedded in the revival of African arts, culture, knowledge systems and technology. Thus, you have to be champions of a curriculum that place emphasis on an African identity and value systems within the global arena.

As government, we are relying on institutions of higher learning to produce intellectuals that are equipped to address global challenges that are facing our country and continent. However, such intellectuals will need to be trained for such a task, and part of that education should be grounding in African ethos and identity. A great part of this will be the training of our youth in becoming more human again. We need more human beings and less human machines.

The challenge of redefining an African identity is one that we must grapple with as a collective - that is government, educational institutions, business and all that constitutes civil society. However, institutions of higher learning will have to play a central role because of your strategic position in the grooming of our young generations.

It is with this in mind that the government continuously interacts with institutions of higher learning in order to ensure that we promote a common national agenda. Our interaction with you is aimed at supporting the efforts of building a new breed of leaders who will take our country and continent to new heights.

Ladies and gentlemen:

Let us reclaim our heritage; let us make an African Renaissance happen where we live. I am honoured to declare the 7th Annual African Arts Festival officially opened.

Thank you

Issued by Office of the Premier, Northern Province

20 September 2001