Beyond biryani and braai, we can shape our legacy

TOMORROW will mark Heritage Day in South Africa. Over time, traditional regalia, different cuisine including braais, have signified the day; a colourful public holiday. We seldom speak of meaning and deeper substance to Heritage Day, and perhaps at the crossroads our beautiful country finds itself in, now is the time to begin these hard yet necessary reflections.

What are we celebrating as South Africans? Are we celebrating a heritage of inherent violence, are we celebrating our notoriety for corruption, crime, inequality and every other fault line we shudder to address?

I am a board member of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation and a community activist, and am grappling over Heritage Day 2021 which will this year be in the midst of a global pandemic.

“It is time to begin thinking about the kind of society we are shaping and the type of legacy we should be building towards for our children and grandchildren to inherit.”

For all the hype about technology and progress we tend to be quite short-term in our approaches to life. Indigenous wisdom from a variety of cultures, would require people to think about every action and decision they were taking, with the potential impact on seven generations forward.

Covid-19 has revealed and amplified many of the challenges that plague our country, the continent and the globe. As we prepare for Heritage Day 2021, we must re-imagine the society we are creating by the actions we are taking and promoting now.

Dubbed by many as a soap opera, the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture has opened our eyes to corruption on a grand scale. Reports, though arguable, continue to crown our country with the title of being one of the most violent; tarnishing any good name we are trying to build. Headlines profiling the brutal attacks and even killings of women, children and members of the LGBTQI+ community have become our daily bread. Yet on the September 24 and several other public holidays we forget these terrible incidents and claim a utopian sense of unity. We are a country that has endured so much. Our legacy is one of triumph, having defeated a system that sort to oppress and divide our people. Yet today we have different and newer struggles.

What are we doing to address these and ensure that we leave a legacy we can all be proud of in the next few years to come? I would like to bequeath subsequent generations, a society in which all forms of life are held to high levels of respect and human dignity. The other pandemic facing our society is the terrible scourge of gender-based violence as well as racism.

We need urgent approaches with the requisite wisdom and determination, so that women are safe in the private and public realm. We need all sectors of society to work together to enable this to become a reality.

Imagine a society where public servants serve the community and where honesty, integrity and ethics are cornerstone. We can create institutions in the private sector, public sector and civil society, which are premised on the notion of ubuntu, common good and where accountability is paramount. Our rivers, streams, forests and air are all giving us a warning; we cannot continue to disrespect the life sources that our continued existence is integrally tied to. Climate justice is everyone’s concern, yet very little action is taken to address these terrifying warnings.

So, this heritage day, I will not be thinking about biryani or braai – but making my conscious contribution to the inheritance we wish to leave to next generations.

Let us start by calling for accountability, protecting the vulnerable, applauding whistle-blowers who have opened our eyes to our country being stolen from under our feet and guarding against vicious attacks to the very institutions that should be protecting us and ensuring there is a South Africa for next Heritage Day to be celebrated and reflected on.