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24 September 2007

Programme director
Khosi Vho M Tshikundamalema
MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture
Honourable Executive Mayor of Vhembe District and other Mayors
Mayor of Mutale Local Municipality
Members of Parliament and Members of Provincial Legislature
Traditional leaders here present
Councillors
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

Theme: "Celebrating South African Poetry"

Every year on 24 September, South Africans celebrate Heritage day. It is a day of celebrating national symbols as well as asserting our cultural norms and values. This year's Heritage Day in particular, will see a celebration of our diverse languages through poetry. Unlike most national days, we should try not to make this day a day of long winded speeches, but rather a day in which we enjoy the best from our roots, in the form of song, dance, traditional dishes and poetry.

What is heritage?

Heritage is what we receive from the past. It is an inheritance which includes a body of memories passed on from one generation to the next. Heritage shapes our present identity and provides insight of our future. It includes a range of activities such as dance, song, poetry, artifacts, historic sites and places; and indigenous knowledge systems. The struggles against the injustice and inequities of the past also form part of our national heritage and identity. In essence, the celebration of heritage is about preserving that which we value and hold in high esteem as a nation. Heritage is the combination of all those things that make us the people we are, and the nation we are. Our way of life is determined by our heritage. To a larger extent, heritage also influences and shapes the way we behave and think as individuals.

Despite our glorious past, it amazes one to realise that we still lack sufficient public awareness about the importance of heritage in our country. Our cultures, according to some people, are still regarded as primitive and uncivilised, by today standards. This is far from the truth. To some people, this day may just be another public holiday, yet it carries with it, a lot of emotions of where we come from as a people and a nation.

The reason why we celebrate heritage, is because it plays such an important role in shaping perceptions of who we are as people in the eyes of humanity. Without this sense of identity, we are nothing as people.

By celebrating heritage day, we are deliberately rewriting our own history, and in the process, defying detractors who have always thought about us, as either slaves or worse still, members of the animal kingdom.

By celebrating this day, we are in a way challenging stereotypes that our cultures are practiced only by those who are uncivilised, and uneducated amongst our people. This means therefore, that, by celebrating heritage day today, we are indirectly reclaiming our own humanity. We are indirectly making a point that we are singularly capable of defining who we are as a people and as a continent.

To us, heritage is a priceless gift for which no monetary value can be attached. In other words, our cultures, values and traditions, are much more than what money can buy. They are the glue that binds us together as a nation and for that reason; we cannot take them for granted.

Our province is rich with creative cultures like poetry and folktales which tell long tales of the extent to which Africans as a people were civilised even before the white man set foot on this continent. Our challenge is that we have not fully appreciated the depth of the talent which we have; hence our people accord only modest respect to indigenous artists we have in our country. Sadly, these traditional dancers, singers, wood carvers, oral historians, drummers, poets and traditional storytellers, continue in their various ways, to carry the torch of heritage even when we do little, to recognise their talent here at home.

Even when a poet is never celebrated at home, in this instance, we must take collective responsibility of finding ways of appreciating and honouring those who ply their trade through art, while they still breathe. Equally, our artists have a responsibility of passing their knowledge of tradition to future generations.

The wealth of oral traditions and history which our forefathers left behind must find space and resonance in today's education system. This will help our children to know exactly where their parents come from. We want to encourage everybody especially young people to embrace the culture of reading and writing poetry and literature, particularly in their own mother tongues. This will enrich South African indigenous literature and preserve our country's common heritage.

For our cultures to be seen as relevant, they need to be adaptable and to move with the times. Let us use literature and poetry in our various languages to awaken the values that celebrate our humanity. These require that we revive the spirit of ubuntu which underlies our values of solidarity, compassion, respect, human dignity and unity.

There is more to learn from other nations of the world such as the Greeks, the Jews and the Chinese; who are known for taking their traditions and cultures very seriously, even in the face of globalisation.

Perhaps as a starting point, each one of us must take it upon ourselves to trace our origins and ancestral roots. Families in particular, have a responsibility to ensure that their histories and genealogy are correctly recorded. This will enable children to derive pride and inspiration from knowing who they are, particularly when they become adults.

Programme director, while we are diverse and unique, in our different ways, there is obviously interconnection among all our various cultures. It cannot be disputed that amongst the African people especially, there is a common thread of respect and ubuntu which runs through all the diverse cultures, irrespective of whether one is Zulu, Ndebele, Tsonga, Mopedi or Venda. However, this does not mean that we do not share common hopes and fears with our compatriots of other races, who are equally citizens of our land.

This challenge calls on, all of us to use the richness and diversity of our cultural tapestry as a source of strength and not a divisive tool. It should help us play a major role in the renewal of Africa and in uniting all her people.

Programme director, as you may well know, Limpopo is blessed with many heritage icons that are found no where else in the world. Among these are the great Mapungubwe rock citadel and the Biggest Baobab trees found in Tzaneen and here at Sagole. These are only now being appreciated by the outside world, as if they never existed.

The Sagole Baobab tree in particular, is said to be the biggest tree in the world. The tree also features on our corporate logo and we are proud to have the baobab named after one of our National Orders.

Programme director, it is indeed pleasing to see the enormous progress that has been made in the tarring of the road leading to the Big tree. One hopes that the road will make life easier for the community around here to commute better to other destinations. It is also our belief that the road will jerk up tourism in this area and stimulate other economic activities around the Big tree and the Sagole Spa. We are aware that there is still a dire need for us to extend other amenities, such as water and electricity to this part of our country.

Programme director, as we have already alluded before, the province is proud to be the home of two World Heritage Sites in the form of Mapungubwe and Makapane valley. In this regard, we are glad to note that the process of repatriating the remains of bodies found on Mapungubwe Hill is well underway. This process will culminate in the official reburial of these human remains, to their final resting place on the Mapungubwe Hill top, in November this year. The President of our country, Mr Thabo Mbeki and representatives of Botswana, Zimbabwe and China has already accepted the invitation to become part of this historic ceremony.

This will present a unique opportunity for Limpopo to showcase our inheritance to the people of Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the world.

The other declared provincial heritage sites of Tjate in Sekhukhuneland, Dzata in Vhembe, Soutini-Baleni in Mopani and the Malebogo-Boer war battlefields in Capricorn, remain important icons of which we must also celebrate. Communities and the private sector must collaborate with government to develop and market these sites for the benefit of our people.

These investments must not only serve to develop our people economically, but importantly, must also help in forging a common South African identity which will be shared by all who live it.

We wish you a happy heritage day!

I thank you

Issued by: Office of the Premier, Limpopo Provincial Government
24 September 2007