Celebrating Heritage in South African Cities/Towns, Schools and as a country CW 11

In our schools  Teachers and learners of a particular school dress up in their different cultural clothing.  Different teachers prepare their own specific cultural food and bring it along to school, to give everyone a taste of what they eat in their cultures.  There are special assemblies in schools, mainly to give information to the students about the beliefs, rituals and ceremonies that take place in the diverse cultures that we have in South Africa, namely: Ndebele Zulu Pedi Venda Swati Tswana English Afrikaans and many others. During these assemblies, performances such as dances, prayers and songs are persented by people from these different cultures.

Music and dance celebrations are held around the world by South Africans living abroad. Legendary musicians from many cultures perform their cultural songs, expressing what makes them Zulu, Sotho, English or Afrikaner. Some restaurants in the country prepare traditional meals belonging to the many South African cultures. Many people in South Africa find joy in wearing the clothes that belong to their particular cultures; and grandpas and grandmas enjoy sharing stories they were told by their great grand-parents (who by many now are referred to as ancestors). Lastly and most importantly we often look back at what happened during the apartheid era and changes that have occurred since then, as a country we celebrate the freedom of all races. Our president gives a speech on that day to all South Africans to tell us to remember where we come from, to be proud of our different cultures that make us unique from all the other countries and to embrace being South African.

Depending on the many different cities and towns of South Africa, people mostly decide amongst themselves how they want to celebrate Heritage Day, for example: Food Dancing Singing Stories from the past about the history of every culture Dressing up according to the culture’s dress code