House Chairperson, the Freedom Charter declared boldly that South Africa belonged to all who live in it, black and white. Today we still affirm the validity of that sentiment and belief. Therefore, as we focus on Heritage Day 2009, we should pause and reflect on the power, potency and potentiality of that statement. We all know to whom South Africa belongs. On the other hand, do all people in South Africa believe that they belong to South Africa?
Will Heritage Day be celebrated with equal favour by everyone? In our Constitution, 11 languages are officially recognised and PanSALB is enjoined to promote and ensure respect for a dozen other languages, such as German, Greek and Gujarati, used by distinctive communities. This means that in our country, we have more than 20 different languages and cultural groups.
Each group has contributed significantly to enriching the tapestry that constitutes South African life, but do all these groups come out on Heritage Day in their unique dress, singing their unique songs, exhibiting their unique art, sharing their unique literature and making presentations of their unique cuisines? As I remember, there were people who merely wanted to make this national day a frivolous braai day. Government has been unable to get a buy-in from every community. This is a missed opportunity. On Heritage Day, every cultural group should be affirming itself and South Africa. The Swiss are all distinctly different people, but they display an indivisible common national pride.
South Africa is rich in the richness of its diversity. South Africa is unique in the way it affords each group the chance to develop its uniqueness. South Africans have so much to share with one another, yet when there is the time and opportunity to do so, there is no great sharing.
Government must assume the larger portion of blame for this. Government arrogated to itself the right to be everything to everybody on Heritage Day. It took centre stage instead of taking a back seat. It tried to reflect itself instead of letting cultural groups demonstrate what they were about.
It is certain that Heritage Day belongs to all heritage groups and therefore it should be entrusted to them to plan for it with a great deal of elbowroom. National, provincial and regional committees representing all cultural groups should take charge henceforth in order that every cultural group feels like seizing the opportunity to disclose its artistic and cultural treasures.
Years ago, I witnessed how the 11 national groups that constituted the then defunct Soviet Union participated in a national day in a way typically characteristic of itself. Heritage Day should not be reserved for boring speeches. It should be the most anticipated day on the calendar. Certainly, one dance, one song and one meal will say more than a thousand words. Celebrations should be just that. Speech-making should be reserved for Parliament.
Heritage Day could also help to unfreeze relationships amongst our various peoples. We all know that we occupy common space, but not any common feeling or common allegiance. Our token response of acknowledging one another across the various divides should be allowed to develop into a genuine understanding and appreciation of one another. We are tied by destiny to a journey into the future together.
We should therefore not delay the forging of our togetherness, because the sooner we do it, the sooner we can claim a safer and more prosperous future. Ethnicity should never be the reason for animosity; rather it should be the reason for reciprocity.
We are not the only nation celebrating Heritage Day in September. Many people in Europe are doing the same. In Sweden, for example, heritage day has a theme. This year the theme is: Sweden and Finland share a history. It will certainly be interesting to see what they do in exploring this theme and what outcomes are achieved. There may be a lesson for us in their experience.
As South Africans, we share one country but we have divided histories. When are we going to look for fusion in history, fusion in food, fusion in music? Fusion is the rage at the moment in the world, and we have vast scope for it here. The United Kingdom also has their heritage day in September. So what will our English counterparts be doing? For four days, English property owners will open their doors, free of charge, to the public. They will be saying that whatever is their legacy is also the legacy of their nation. On these four days, everyone in England can enjoy places of great historic heritage and architectural value.
If we in South Africa took a tiny little step to open our doors to our neighbours, what a giant step that would be. For much more to happen in the suburbs, the Minister of Police will have to walk his tough talk of stopping criminals in their tracks. We have constraints, but our opportunities to know and be known are greater in number.
Cope, as Comrade Smuts Ngonyama pointed out the other day, is promoting the idea of an activist state. For us it is important to take another big step forward from that which was taken in 1994. We cannot let our democracy stagnate.
For us, the potential that exists in our country has to be harnessed. This can only happen when the state comes down to the people, rather than asking the people to come to the state and then asking them to go away and come back again. We want the people of our country to be one and we want them to demonstrate that whoever they are, they enjoy being South Africans. We want them to put their destiny and that of their children in their own hands. I thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]