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23 September 2008

Minister of Arts and Culture, Dr Z Pallo Jordan
Executive Mayor Cllr Amos Masondo
Ministers of government departments
Members of Parliament
Members of Provincial Legislature
Members of foreign embassies present today
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

I have great pleasure in welcoming you to this gala dinner on the eve of the 2008 Heritage Day which takes place tomorrow at Maropeng in the Cradle of Humankind.

Gauteng province is honoured to host the national Heritage Day celebrations for 2008 under the theme Celebrating our Dance, Our Heritage.

Traditional and contemporary dance are in line with the Gauteng Provincial Government's vision of being a caring government, entrenching social cohesion, deepening democracy and building safe and sustainable communities. The recent xenophobic attacks have underscored the need to use arts and culture to promote nation building and social cohesion.

This past weekend, 20 to 21 September 2008, we held the inaugural Gauteng Folklore Festival. This was hosted by my department in conjunction with the Gauteng Cultural Umbimbi, the International Council of Organisations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Art (CIOFF) and Arts Alive.

More than 150 groups representing the vast cultural diversity of our province participated in the festival. This event was the culmination of a long journey. A journey that saw traditional dancers and singers from the length and breadth of the province to attending auditions. It was meant to showcase excellence in traditional dance and music. I am pleased to inform you that two of the best groups from this festival will be given the opportunity to showcase their talent on Heritage Day at Maropeng tomorrow.

I am also pleased to announce that the Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation has engaged in negotiations with CIOFF South Africa with a view to establishing the Gauteng chapter of CIOFF. To achieve this we need co-operation and dedication of our traditional dance groups. The ultimate aim is to create a situation in which every folk art performer, be it a dancer or singer, aspires to perform at the international CIOFF Festival. This means that we must start now with inculcating a culture of excellence because of the best groups perform at that festival.

The group that will represent us at the CIOFF should not only be best in one genre but be versatile and reflect the cultural diversity and richness of our country. I am hoping that the ongoing initiatives such as the recent Zindala Zombili competition, which is already a well known brand, will play a critical role in ensuring that the process of establishing a South African dance troupe becomes a reality.

Through this folklore festival the department's key arts and culture programmes such as Creative Arts, Creative Industries and Heritage are publicly manifested.

The promotion and celebration of heritage and artistic creativity which takes place during the heritage day festivities contributes towards nation building. One cannot under estimate the extent to which dance and music contributes to poverty alleviation and employment creation. The Gauteng Creative Industries Framework identifies arts and culture as key drivers of this province's economy. This has been confirmed by Gauteng's recently completed Creative Mapping Study.

Our commitment to excellence in artistic expression is manifested in the provincial government's financial support to arts organisation and individuals through grants in aid disbursed by the Gauteng Arts and Culture Council (GACC). The GACC's grants-in-aid enabled the provincial government to support dance groups and events such as the First National Bank (FNB) Dance Umbrella. Many of the arts and culture groups have been able to perform at the National Arts Festival because of our financial support. We hope that the private sector will join forces with government in promoting dance in Gauteng.

As you are aware the theme for this year's heritage day celebrations is Celebrating our Dance, Our Heritage. Dance, whether traditional or contemporary, is part of our heritage and it should not be viewed separately from our heritage. Dance like music is one of the cultural components that transcend and unite all population groups regardless of their culture, background, gender or age. In South Africa, dance tells a story of the origin, evolution, growth and development of South Africa's diverse society. Intangible cultural heritage such as dance, music are integral parts of peoples lives and constitute a very popular art form. South African dance performance reflects the diverse cultures and history of communities in South Africa.

I would like to thank the national Department of Arts and Culture for partnering with Gauteng province in celebrating the 2008 Heritage Day.

Once more I would like to welcome you to tonight's gala dinner and look forward to seeing you again tomorrow in Maropeng.

Thank you for taking time to celebrate Our Dance, our Heritage this evening.

Issued by: Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Gauteng Provincial Government
23 September 2008
Source: Gauteng Provincial Government (http://www.srac.gpg.gov.za)