I’m not sure if I should feel a bit embarrassed by this, or whether it’s me and a whole lot of you out there as well that are not entirely sure what Heritage Day was originally intended to be about. What is Heritage Day? Here in South Africa every second TV advert and internet news article reminds us that Wednesday the 24th of September is National Braai (Barbeque) Day. I’m all over the Braai Day idea. In fact, I’ve already bought the meat and I’ve made the arrangements with my family and if you’re reading this on Heritage Day at lunchtime, my fingers are probably too full of oiliness from the grilled boerewors (beef sausage) to reply to your comment right away!
Is it only about the coals and the cola? Well, it has a lot to do with the fire and the French Salad. That’s part of our heritage as South Africans. What I choose to put on my grill is something that might differ from my house to yours. But that’s not the only thing that makes up our heritage. We all eat, and every culture makes a song and dance about it (sometimes literally) in some way or the other, so I get the food thing. But what else then makes up our Heritage? It seems that is up to each of us and our communities. We all differ and we all have something that sets us apart within the borders of this great nation. Whatever it might be, celebrate it with enthusiasm and passion, and if we all end up around a fire somewhere on Wednesday, then eat, and drink and be merry, and you’ll soon realize again how being South African is indeed something special.
Former South Africa President Nelson Mandela said this in a Heritage Day speech: “When our first democratically-elected government decided to make Heritage Day one of our national days, we did so because we knew that our rich and varied cultural heritage has a profound power to help build our new nation”.
So, let’s acknowledge this day as more than just a plate full of food. It is the celebration of what each one of us brings to this beautiful Rainbow Nation that so many of us call home.