By Nontando Nolutshungu
What we, as South Africans, have inherited in the past and valued in all its entirety, enjoyed in the present and preserved for future generations is our heritage.
The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, headed by Mr Nathi Mthethwa, under the ruling party of South Africa, should be taking steps into decolonising the western heritage which South Africa and other colonised African parts found themselves wrapped into
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has constantly been pushing for the decolonisation of our education and the decolonisation of our national anthem.
The African National Congress (ANC), the ruling party in South Africa, has sickly created an unholy and evil medley of an evil song that mixed a beautiful song composed by Enoch Sontonga, Nkosi Sikelel’iAfrika, with a piece of a song that was sung when the white people of the apartheid government were singing while killing, maiming and raping our women.
As our history is also embedded within our heritage. It can never be right that we incorporate pieces of our past horrors, moments that we do not value and carry along evil songs like ‘Die Stem’ into our future. It becomes all fake when our parliament celebrates one month in a year and, within that month, a day for heritage as if we are proud to be fakes for the rest of the year.
The EFF encourages self-love and is fighting to bring a black man’s dignity that was eroded by white people not only in Africa but in the rest of the world.
African civilisation has been tremendously distorted and destroyed by western colonialism. Africans are finding themselves celebrating and honouring western festivals, western cultures, Halloween, Easter eggs and western religious holidays.
It is time that our education inserted in our curriculum the African Calendar and all the knowledge of African greatness that was created before the western civilisation got to be enforced on African people. South Africa is home to the oldest human calendar, the Stone Calendar, which is in Mpumalanga.
That land is under threat of being bought by a rich, white man. The South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) should not allow such calamity to happen. It is their duty, and they are tasked with an overall legislative mandate to identify, assess, manage, conserve, protect and promote heritage resources in South Africa.
It is fallacious to have our people wearing so-called traditional clothing only for a day as if making a mockery of our valuable history and society.
Our heritage should be reflective of who we are in a world’s view. Our image should inform and influence our coming generation. Our heritage should be allowed to develop from an original and protected point of existence.
Nontando Nolutshungu is Member of Economic Freedom fighters Central Command Team and Member of Parliament.
