Hon Chairperson, this department is very important for various reasons. It is a vehicle for social cohesion, and, most significantly, it is important for its educational and emancipatory roles. This is why we as the IFP view the R3,5-billion budget as inadequate.
In traditional societies, the main aim of education was to produce a lovable, respectable and skilled individual. Culture was seen as a key vehicle for driving this important task.
The worst form of oppression has been mental oppression, in which Africans ended up despising their own cultures and, in the process, were turned into cultural victims where imitating the oppressor became the acceptable norm.
The question facing us today is how this department has assisted South Africans to transcend the status of being cultural victims. I submit that a lot needs to be done towards that end.
The process of acculturation with tangible programmes must be rolled out in earnest.
The department says that it will be placing 240 professional artists in schools to assist with cultural education. But, you must remember, South Africa has more than 24 000 schools. Therefore the inadequacy of this strategy is very obvious. There is a need for close collaboration between the Department of Basic Education and the Department of Arts and Culture in this regard. We must form a very strong link between the in-school culture and the out-of-school culture, accompanied, of course, by budgetary measures.
This department is further tasked with the promotion of social cohesion among South Africans. The department has stated that it will be doing this by, amongst other things, using our national days. However, these events have been turned into political rallies. We have even witnessed the booing of leaders from other political parties at these events. The victims will know who they are. So, there is the question of whether we are going to achieve the intended objective of social cohesion through using these national days. If we continue in this vein the answer is no.
Another aspect that should be mentioned, hon Minister, is that traditional leaders - who are the primary custodians of cultural practices in our traditional societies - are not given a prominent role to play within the mandate of this department. What partnerships, one may ask, are there between this department and the House of Traditional Leaders, either nationally or provincially?
The IFP supports this budget. I thank you. [Time expired.] [Applause.]