Programme Director
Members of the Cultural Commission
Distinguished Cultural and Heritage practitioners
Honoured guests, ladies and gentlemen
It is quite an honour and indeed fitting to launch the Heritage Month right at the Cultural Hub and Sports Mecca of the Western Cape. The theme being "celebrating our living heritage" for three years until 2007. The July 2005 Minmec further approved the sub-themes "our indigenous food, our knowledge, our heritage" for the month-long heritage programme.
This approach is strategic in nature to create an enabling environment for the full expression and exhibition of various forms of Living Heritage of all population groups.
In an effort to achieve that goal and contribute towards the promotion of sharing of cultural experiences among our communities, we should do so in a manner that supports the ideals of a non-racial, non-sexist, multilingual and multi-cultural society.
To that extent, the programme we are launching this evening, is an attempt to reach our vision of creating a harmonious society, where each and every culture of our diverse province is afforded a platform for cultural expression and be celebrated by all. It is an attempt to mirror the rich cultural diversity of the province.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are faced with new challenges that are threatening our efforts to preserve and promote culture. Our present generation find it fashionable to express themselves in the 2nd language, most of them are fast loosing grip of their own mother tongues, their cultural values and norms.
We look to the schools to assist parents in ensuring that our children take full advantage of the heritage month and better understand who we are, where we come from, what were the practices of our forefathers. The question of indigenous languages is indeed a worrying factor. We must collectively work together to promote indigenous languages because language is the backbone of a nation.
We have emerged from an era where there was no freedom of cultural expression. The results of that systematic oppression have left wounds and indelible scars in many of our communities.
Today, indigenous languages of the aborigines of the Western Cape, the Nama and Khoi people have been severely marginalized.
As government that advocates the promotion of nation building, national reconciliation and social cohesion, we are not saying that in vain.
Last week I witnessed a wonderful exhibition of cultural expression at the Opening Ceremony of the National Indigenous Games in Oudtshoorn, where all nine provinces paraded their cultures in style and pride. Having seen that colourful display I felt confident that indigenous games could play a critical role in driving our agenda of uniting our divided nation and we must aggressively promote these games.
Accordingly, the programme of the heritage month must be used to share our different cultures and become a vehicle to unite us.
Ladies and gentlemen, pursuant to our promise of creating a home for all and contribute towards a better South Africa for all through culture and sport, it is with pleasure to announce that our Heritage programme will this year, focus on the Boland and Overberg regions.
This has been done deliberately not only to acknowledge the neglect of the rural communities but begin to practically give equal opportunities to all our communities.
The Department has been running these programmes focusing on various regions of the province. There were lessons learnt in this approach such as.
- Ensuring that service providers of other regions are given equal opportunities
- And provide equal opportunities to the City, rural and farm communities for cultural expression
Our approach this year won't be any different.
I therefore have pleasure to announce the following heritage programme:
- Storytelling - the language Unit will present storytelling workshops in Montagu area from 16- 17 September. The target is the Breede River Valley where delegates will be introduced to the art of storytelling.
- Oral history - workshops will be run at various schools in the Overberg region as from 19-22 September. Oral history workshops are aimed at introducing teachers to oral methodology and present education programmes to learners and encourage storytelling.
- Launch oral history project - Victoria Hall, Caledon - 24 September, academics and museum specialists from across the province will talk on the significance of oral history as a vehicle to preserve our heritage. MEC Jacobs will launch a Scrapbook Project where communities will record what they regard as their important heritage for museum displays.
- Indigenous and traditional food evening - Victoria Hall, Caledon - 23 September. There will be a display of indigenous and traditional foods. There will be another display, preparation and tasting of indigenous foods at Stellenbosch Museum from 21-23 September.
- Indigenous/traditional games - Caledon Sport Ground - 24 September. The sport component of the Department will organize the festival for the full display of the indigenous games.
- Indigenous Medicinal plants - Museums services plans to have presentations on the importance of indigenous medicinal plants- at Montagu Museum - 21-23 September .
In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, the activities of the Heritage Month have great potential to bridge the cultural divide and we must intensify all our efforts to promote what unites us. I hope the affected communities will take note of these activities and actively take part in the rich cultural exchange platforms so that we respect and appreciate other cultures.
I thank you very much for gracing this function with your presence. Enjoy the rest of the activities. I thank you
