WHAT HERITAGE DAY MEANS TO ME . . .
CAR salesman Ryan Devraj says Heritage Day is about South Africans coming together to celebrate their diverse cultures.
“Our country has been through apartheid, a time when it was difficult to engage or learn about one another’s beliefs or cultures, but today I feel proud knowing we have a day set aside, to not only celebrate our own beliefs and cultures, but to learn about the heritage of other race groups.”
Devraj, of Chatsworth, said the symbolism of the day must, however, not be lost. “We live in a modern society and sometimes, especially among the youth, we tend to lose our connection with our
culture, as we have adopted a more Western lifestyle. We must therefore not forget what heritage means.”
FOR attorney Lasanthan Pillay, Heritage Day should be a celebration of South Africa’s rich and varied cultural heritage, and to give to those who are in need.
“We live in a diverse country, in which various cultures are interwoven into a Mzansi nation. On this day, as well as every other, we should strive to celebrate our own identities and cultures, as well as celebrate cultural traditions in the wider context of the great diversity that make up the nation of South Africa.
“Let us celebrate with the different communities and embrace each other. Let us come together in the spirit of ubuntu. We need to live in a cohesive, non-sexist and nonracialist society, where we embrace everyone equally and are non-judgmental.”
Pillay, of Chatsworth, said he intended to provide for the underprivileged community of Inanda – where his grandfather had owned a farm – on Heritage Day.
WHEN our first democratically elected government decided to make Heritage Day one of our national days, it did so with the knowledge that our rich and
varied cultural heritage had a profound power to help build our new nation, said Mahatma Gandhi’s granddaughter, Ela, who lives in Glenwood.
“It was done with the knowledge that the struggles against the injustice and inequities of the past were part of our national identity. They are part of our culture. If, indeed, our nation had to rise like the proverbial phoenix from the ashes of division and conflict, we had to acknowledge those whose selfless efforts and talents were dedicated to this goal of non-racial democracy.”
Gandhi added that Heritage Day contributed to building a strong South African nation “at peace with itself and with its
neighbours”.
“THE creation of a Heritage Day was based on an ideological vision, namely that South Africans would celebrate Heritage Day by remembering the cultural heritage of the many cultures that make up the population of South Africa. The political architects had envisaged
that various events would be staged to commemorate this all-inclusive dream,” said psychologist and author Devi Rajab of Westville.
“It was speculated that when South Africans celebrated their diverse cultural heritage, they would come together as a rainbow nation. When this happened, it would be time to celebrate
the contribution of all South Africans to the building of South Africa. How far are we from achieving this dream, though, if people merely celebrate their uniqueness instead of their common South African heritage?”
For Rajab, Heritage Day was therefore not about her as an Indian “but about me staking my place as a bona fide
African”.
“Until this happens, no wearing of my ethnic labels will make me celebrate Heritage Day alone. I would like to share my journey into this country alongside all other South Africans. That, for me, would be my notion of a true acknowledgement of my heritage as a South African of Indian origin.”