Pretoria – Government has called on all communities to take pride in their 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 Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) Acting Director-General, Donald Liphoko, on Tuesday.
He further called on South Africans to celebrate the custodians of the country’s arts and culture for their efforts in promoting and protecting their 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,” said Liphoko.
He said 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.” South Africans can use #MyLivingLegend to share their stories on social media.
The call comes as South Africans will mark Heritage Day on Saturday. The national celebration will be held at Galeshewe Stadium, in Kimberley.
The day, which will be celebrated under the theme: “Celebrating our Human Treasures by Asserting our African Identity”, will be used to celebrate the country’s diverse cultural heritage.
Government has urged all sectors of society to take part in the Heritage Month campaign and promote their multicultural national identity.
Liphoko said there are exciting initiatives happening this year and urged the public to participate.
Heritage Fridays #HeritageMonth2016
He encouraged all South Africans to celebrate Heritage Fridays by 'living their heritage' and showcasing their traditional attire, music, food, dance, embrace their mother tongues as a way of promoting their African identity.
“Support the #LivingMyHeritage campaign by uploading a profile picture wearing your traditional outfit and promote on your social media accounts,” Liphoko said. The public can access the frame by opening the link http://twibbon.com/Support/livingmyheritage-2
He further encouraged South Africans to engage in conversations and share their knowledge (idioms, proverbs and quotes) to expand the country’s cultural understanding and create a unified diverse nation by #AssertingOurAfricanIdentity
A comprehensive calendar of heritage month activities is available on government websites https://www.gov.za/speeches/heritage-month-2016 -
20 year milestone
This year marks the 20 year milestone since government declared Heritage Day as an opportunity to encourage all citizens to observe and celebrate their diverse cultural heritage.
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”. - SAnews.gov.za
