TSWELOPELE MAKOE
Johannesburg - Heritage Day reminds us of the rich cultural and traditional diversities we encompass as South Africans.
On September 24 each year, we are not only encouraged to celebrate our rich variety of cultures but even more so, to celebrate the cultural diversity that is so often used to create tensions among us.
South Africa, the land of 11 official languages very seldom gets the opportunity to recognise the privilege that we have, to be able to encompass all of these cultures means that we’re able to experience different people from different traditions and share that.
This is exactly what heritage day calls for – the celebration of one another. As a country, we come from a very tumultuous history, and in our daily lives, contend with multiple challenges as a result.
We are often very focused on the politics of the country, and the socio-economic issues of the country, but we do not interrogate how our heritage relates directly to our identity, as individuals and as a collective.
In a recent public discourse discussion, the question of the role of gender within heritage was raised. This brought me to examine the role of heritage in our gender dynamics as a society. Our heritage as Africans is not only based on the sentiments of ubuntu/Botho (I am because you are) but also on the premise that our heritage is inherent to our identities as African people.
Yes, we contend with issues of inequality, patriarchy, and misogyny in our heritage, but we also absorb traits of our history, our ancestors, and our culture. All of these traits that we embody are pertinent to who we are as a society. We may be oftentimes divided and fragmented in many of our societal issues, from racial tensions to gender binaries, but we are also progressive and liberal in so many other meaningful ways.
Though it is vital to understand that the heritage we hold today is strongly influenced by our colonial history, by the outside sentiments of patriarchy and misogyny, we are also gradually returning to our pre-colonial ethos that values and empowers women in society. We see this through the strong emergence of women-owned businesses and of women leaders in cultural processes such as lobola negotiations.
We are advancing, and we need to pat ourselves on the back for the progress that we are making, regardless of our challenges. We may still be threatened by the toxic phenomena of gender-based violence and homophobia, but we as a society are stronger than we were a decade ago, two years ago, and six months ago.
We tirelessly and fiercely combat the violence women face in our society, and we fervently call out injustice and make an active, conscious choice to better our society. It is extremely important that on this Heritage Day, we remember our power as a society, we remember that we are different people, we are diverse people, and that we celebrate this.
But more so, we recognise the power that we embody when we are a collective, and we are consistent in our resolve to shape our nation into the prosperous South Africa that we all desire.
Tswelopele Makoe is an MA (Ethics) student at the University of Western Cape.