Honour Dawid Stuurman
Nearly a quarter of a century into our democracy, it is important that the transformation of place names is pursued with renewed vigour to ensure we achieve the society envisaged by our constitution.
The initiative by the SA Geographical Names Council and its provincial counterpart of dealing with the naming of the Port Elizabeth Airport is to be welcomed.
It provides a significant opportunity to redress imbalances in our society and embrace a more inclusive future.
We nominate the name of Chief Dawid Stuurman as the most appropriate name for the airport.
Renaming of the airport to Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport is an unprecedented opportunity to address a number of pressing socio-political issues.
National heroes like Stuurman fought against the common enemy who sought to dispossess the people of SA of their land and livestock, and also fought against enslavement of our people.
Arts, culture and heritage policy in SA is premised on several key strategic pillars: nation building, social cohesion, social justice and economic development.
Each of these forms a strong and compelling motivation for naming the airport Chief Dawid Stuurman Interapartheid national Airport.
One of the challenges we face is that the histories and languages of the Khoikhoi and San peoples have not yet found full expression in our heritage discourse and in our naming processes.
Renaming the airport after Stuurman would undoubtedly promote a more inclusive and encompassing history upon which our sense of nationhood could be built.
It will be proof that SA embraces the history of all communities who resisted colonialism, and simultaneously restoring the identities and histories of many communities, which were obliterated by the colonial powers and regime.
It will provide many people of Khoisan decent with a role model and positive figure that gives meaning to their identity within a broader sense of SA nationhood.
Area and street names like Kragga Kamma, which means sweet water in Khoi, attest to the fact that the land the airport is built on and surroundings like Cape Recife, where the fish traps of Khoi people are still to be seen, are evidence this was once Khoiland.
It is imperative that policies aimed at building social solidarity are complemented by policies that stimulate job creation and the reduction of unemployment. The metro and the province need to develop strategies for stimulating sustainable economic development.
Naming the airport after Stuurman provides the opportunity of developing heritage routes that will promote heritage and cultural tourism.
The value proposition for the renaming of the airport provides the government and Acsa with an opportunity to draw attention to the deep cultural and heritage of the region, and continued opportunity to link the airport as a strategic key point to the cultural and economic lives of the region’s people.