Struggle heroes an interesting topic for pupils
SOUTH Africa is rich in history and heritage of the veterans of the Struggle who have handed over the baton to young people to run with for the next generation, a group of pupils were told during Heritage Month celebrations yesterday.
The pupils from 14 schools gathered in the Athlone Civic Centre to commemorate Heritage Day by discussing the lives of Struggle veterans, through music, drama and poetry.
They had been tasked with investigating the lives of seven Struggle heroes – Louise Asmal, wife of Kader Asmal; Raghtmatunisa Jaffer; Nompumelelo Sidina; Bulelwa Tinto; Georgina Goosen; Sarah Carneson; and Amy Thornton.
The pupils spent time in the homes of the heroes, before giving their presentations to the group at the Civic Centre.
The keynote speaker, Deputy Home Affairs Minister Fatima Chohan, said South Africans should keep things that matter to them and their heritage.
“If we take away part of the national anthem, it would be going back to a divided past which would have a negative impact on unity, and unity is a foundation of a strong nation. We as South Africans should be torch bearers.”
Chohan urged pupils to show the world a place where they could celebrate diversity, “to be peace makers, not war makers as they walk in the footsteps of giants such as Kader Asmal and other fallen heroes”.
“Heritage Month should be a time to reflect on our past and as we celebrate it we should teach young people about where we come from so they can appreciate the present,” she told the youngsters.
Bulela Nconywa,18, from Spes-Bona High School, felt privileged to have had an opportunity to celebrate the life of the veterans.
“I was so delighted to learn from the life of an unsung heroine such as Bulelwa Tinto. I’m inspired to carry on the legacy of the South Africans who contributed to the democracy that we have now and I’m motivated to leave a footprint for the next generation.”
One of the heroines celebrated, Amy Thornton, saw the heritage celebration as a platform to teach the pupils about South African history.
“Children of this age don’t have knowledge about the history of South Africa. They are brilliant and full of zeal, but they need to be educated more, so I had a wonderful time talking to them about where we come from and it was nice to be given all the attention.”
Micaela Holmes, 18, from Mount View High School, said she didn’t know learning about history could be exciting.
“I found Amy Thornton’s life interesting and it made me very excited to be one of the students who presented her life to the other pupils.”
Mount View High School teacher Ronelle Bowers commended the pupils on a job well done.
“The pupils worked really hard on their presentations. They spent hours with the veterans and on research. It was a good sight to see them eager to learn.”
‘IF WE TAKE AWAY PART OF THE NATIONAL ANTHEM IT WOULD BE GOING BACK TO A DIVIDED PAST’