Culture expert, Musa Xulu from the Xubera Institute for Research and Development believes more still needs to be done to preserve South African cultures calling for heritage knowledge to be taught at schools as a subject.
Xulu was speaking on the eve of Heritage Day celebrated throughout South Africa to recognise the diverse cultures and identities of communities.
Xulu said cultural traditions need to be taught in schools to preserve the rich South African heritage to ensure learners are able to develop their identity through cultural education.
“The only thing that can promote and preserve heritage is, if it is taken seriously, is in the school curriculum. So that the future generations can be able to formulate their identities around this subject of heritage because without it you will get lost. And when you get lost as a people, it becomes very easy to imitate others and therefore to be oppressed quite easily.
“You are imitating people, if you don’t have your own identity. So it is going to be important that the issues of cultural heritage are taught as a subject and not just as dancing as they do in schools now. It should be introduced by the Department of Basic Education.
“I know they are busy introducing new subjects, I am saying one of the subjects they should be looking at is traditional knowledge, so that it can be preserved through the schooling system,” he added.
The Department of Art and Culture has a programme that is responsible for the identification,collection, safeguarding, promotion and transformation of the South African Heritage.
The Department of Art and Culture said Heritage Promotion and Preservation Programme covers the work of the following:
1. Heritage Promotion and Preservation:
• Heritage Institutional Development
• Bureau of Heraldry
• Living Heritage
• Policy, Research and Development
2. National Archives and Record Services of South Africa:
• National Film, Video and Sound Archives
• Records Management and Information Services
• National Archives
• Library Policy Coordination and Library Services
Xulu said work still needs to be done to protect cultural traditions instead of just hosting events to celebrate heritage day.
“Not enough has been done to preserve our heritage in South Africa especially to highlight the cultural diversity. What usually happens is that South Africans, even the government, tend to be event oriented instead of building the tangible heritage of the country.
“So there is a problem which we hope as stakeholders will get involved in the planning of the heritage of the country and in the promotion of heritage diversity for the sake of planting the seeds of intercultural tolerance.
“It is going to get better going forward. We are in the country where they built a museum for R200 million and they just let it rot. So that shows that those with resources are not understanding the importance of heritage except for speeches and what you call events and that is it. So there is still work that still needs to be done,” he added.
