Heritage month is seen as a period to celebrate and reflect on our culture. Significantly as the month is, it is proven that anyone can celebrate his/her heritage on a daily basis. While every person has his or her different way of expressing his or her heritage, people share their views on what heritage means to them.
Mawande Nkonjane a third-year communication science student in the University of Johannesburg said that heritage is about her origin, where she comes from and her family’s historical lineage, the community and society that played a pivotal role in shaping her path towards understanding her moral values.
“I have three names in three different languages. That says a lot about me and I love it. I live by the aforementioned legacy of my family. It makes me who I am and what I am. They are my roots; they remind me of where I am going as a person and that is why it is so important for me to remember where I come from regardless of the present or future.
However we live in a very diverse country and I learn about different cultures and languages every day. This learning process is close to my heart as I value communication more than anything,” Mawande expressed.
Siphosethu Vilakazi who is a deejay said that heritage month to her is about appreciating where she comes from and what she has become. It is also about celebrating each other and continuing to learn about one another’s cultures.
“We celebrate by dressing up in our traditional attire, play some old traditional songs or even sing along those songs. Most of us have lost touch with playing indigenous games that connected most of us. You must hold on very tight to your heritage and your roots because it is important to know them and to have a choice to practice them or not rather than not knowing them at all. I think as a nation we can overcome one of the biggest threats ever in history, Covid-19 pandemic and we need to make it a part of our heritage,” Siphosethu concluded.
By Zoleka Batsha
