Youth twist for Heritage Day

Pupils to showcase their creative skills

Tired of politicians’ Heritage Day speeches? The pupils at Kuyasa Combined and Nomzamo Secondary schools have the answer!

They will be showcasing their creative skills in a special Heritage Day event hosted at Nomzamo Secondary School on Thursday September 22, with guidance from heritage practitioner Nonceba Shoba and dynamic event organiser Xolani Kondile.

The intergenerational heritage programme hosted in collaboration with Ndlambe library services and the Special Projects Unit from the Municipality is set to bring residents together for conversations, creativity and celebrations of their heritage.

Kondile said the aim was to encourage school-going children to use creative arts to showcase their understanding of culture and heritage.

“We want to bring a local and youthful flavour to the national Heritage

Day theme, Celebrating the Nation’s Diverse Culture and Heritage,” Kondile said.

The event comprises drama, a debate and a panel discussion.

Starting off the prodceedings will be a short drama by Nomzamo High School which shows young people’s understanding (or lack thereof) of ukuthwasa (the process of becoming a traditional healer) and how teachers, parents and pupils respond to another pupil who has the gift of healing.

This will be followed by a debate prepared by Kuyasa Combined School learners on the value of celebrating Heritage Day in modern-day SA.

The event will end off with a riveting panel discussion offering intergenerational views and an understanding of heritage as a diverse community and country.

What is special about this Heritage Day event is that young people themselves are bringing the event together.

“We thought that we should come up with something different,” said Shoba. “We usually see politicians deliver speeches that promote nation building, conservation and preservation of our rich culture.

“This is fine, but it would be interesting to let young people take centre stage and show us what they think about heritage.”

Preparations have been going on for a month, with rehearsals taking place at the schools guided by a production team driven by the pupils who form part of the planning committee.

Learners are set to showcase their talents even more with their prepared traditional music, dance and written and oral poetry that will serve as entertainment. There will also be an exhibition curated by the library and some of the pupils who are interested in visual arts.

Reporter’s note: Talk of the Town visited the school this week and if the set preparations for the event is anything to go by, this exciting collaborative event will definitely change your mind if you think young people are unaware of their culture.

This is a closed event but you can follow the proceedings virtually as Talk of The Town will be livestreaming from midday to 2pm at Nomzamo Secondary School on Thursday, September 22.