Chairperson, hon Minister, and Deputy Minister in absentia, hon members, ladies and gentlemen, firstly, I wish to acknowledge the efforts of the Department of Arts and Culture in the sector. I take this opportunity to recognise the progress made by the department to dissolve the many legacies of apartheid through fostering nation-building and social cohesion, and transforming the heritage landscape in South Africa.
I would like to begin by reciting a short poem written by James Matthews:
Freedom's child you have been denied too long fill your lungs and cry rage step forward and take your rightful place you're not going to grow up knocking at the back door for you there will be no travelling third class enforced by law with segregated schooling and sitting on the floor the rivers of our land, mountain tops and the shore it is yours, you will not be denied anymore Cry rage, freedom's child.
As I stand here in the 20th year of our democracy, I can proudly say that, as a nation, we have come a long way since 1994. The ANC has been entrusted with a renewed mandate based on its manifesto it presented to South Africans earlier this year during the election campaign.
The ANC pledged to promote the liberation heritage route as a mechanism to honour the heroes and heroines of our struggle. It also committed itself, if given the mandate to govern South Africa and its citizens, to working towards building community arts centres and libraries in every municipal ward.
The ANC also committed itself to honouring and celebrating South Africa's collective heritage by promoting our diverse cultural identities. The ANC's pledge is based on an understanding that for nation-building and social cohesion to thrive, it is imperative that citizens embrace diversity and accept one another as equals. For a country that has endured over 350 years of systematic exclusion of the indigenous people, while the minority groups were indoctrinated with the myth of superiority, it is vital that there is space for dialogue and emotional healing and redress. Indeed, it is only the ANC that has this vision, and it is the ANC that can move South Africa forward.
South Africa has a long, troubled and divided history. Today, however, South Africa is a better place to be in than it was before 1994. [Applause.] No longer do black people have to enter through the back door, and no longer does the cruelty of segregation and apartheid dictate our everyday lives. Today, we can all truly and confidently step forward to take our rightful place as equals before the law.
This right, however, has not come without a price. This right exists because of the selfless acts of bravery of countless men, women, and youth, who fought tirelessly to liberate us from economic, political, intellectual and cultural poverty. This right is one that we have to give gratitude for on a daily basis. It is our task to ensure that the deeds of these selfless heroes and heroines do not go unrecognised. We have an obligation to uphold our Constitution. As emphasised in the preamble to our Constitution, we have a responsibility to honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land.
The National Heritage Council is spearheading the establishment of the national heritage route. As the struggle for the liberation of South Africa was fought throughout the subcontinent, it is imperative that the liberation heritage route includes sites that are in other African states in the Southern African region.
Most political commentators, white people, the DA and small opposition parties have argued that the ANC is using history to justify its continued electoral support. I want to tell this House that the ANC government will continue to transform the presentation and narrative of South African history, because this is not a political project but a just cause. [Applause.] Those whose history prevails in monuments, school textbooks and public lectures always finds it difficult to accept that Africans have history as well.
The fact that the history of South Africa remains distorted and biased is cause for concern. The history in monuments and textbooks reflects the glory and bravery of white supremacy, as if our African heroes and heroines were spectators in the fight against land dispossession.
Xivutiso hi leswaku, hikokwalaho ka yini nyimpi yo lwisana ni ku tekiwa ka misava hi valungu yi tekile nkarhi wo leha, loko tinhenha ta hina ti vile vahlaleri enyimpini leyi. Leswi swi kombisa swinene leswaku valungu va tekela vanhu vantima ehansi. Vunhenha bya Nghunghunyani, Sekhukhune, Makhado, Bambatha, Dinizulu, Mzilikazi, Shaka Zulu, Moshoeshoe, Mama Mantatisi, na van'wana vo tala byi tsariwile tanihiloko va ri matoya eka matimu ya tiko leri. (Translation of Xitsonga paragraphs follows.)
[The question is, why did the struggle against land invasion by whites take so long, while our heroes were spectators in this fight? This indicates that whites look down upon blacks. The heroism of Nghunghunyani, Sekhukhune, Makhado, Bambatha, Dinizulu, Mzilikazi, Shaka Zulu, Moshoeshoe, Mama Manthatisi, and many others is documented as if they are cowards in the history of this country.]
Indeed, the need to document the liberation struggle history cannot be disputed. It is those who were on the wrong side who find it difficult to confront the positions they took. It is their wrong political positions that led to the death of innocent people in this country.
The liberation heritage route adds another aspect to the historical fabric that makes South Africa a tourist destination of note. The National Heritage Council, an entity of the Department of Arts and Culture, has embarked on the Liberation Heritage Route Project. This project seeks to identify, document, research, present and develop a series of liberation sites. The project further seeks to recognise, amongst other people, communities, events, icons and memories that characterise the centuries of struggle for liberation in South Africa.
It is a sad truth that the legacy of apartheid still exists in both intangible and tangible forms. However, we are working with vigour to defend the Freedom Charter and abolish apartheid obstacles so that we can continue to keep the doors of learning and culture open for every citizen. The Department of Arts and Culture is at the very core of this ideal.
For South Africa to be a successful state, we have to build relationships that will bind citizens in a shared future. Through its museums, theatres, other entities and various projects, the department is making significant strides in linking the values of arts, culture and heritage to economic development, nation-building and social cohesion. The department recognises that as a consequence of colonialism and apartheid, the culture, history and heritage of the majority of South Africans were suppressed and distorted.
In response to this deliberate attempt to hide and deform our past, our culture became one of resistance - a major driving force in achieving political liberation. The legacy projects that were initiated by the Department of Arts and Culture aim to commemorate various aspects of South Africa's past. Through these projects, the department not only addresses imbalances in the representation of our past, it also contributes to Outcome 7, which seeks to create vibrant and equitable rural communities. The ANC supports this Budget Vote, Chairperson. I thank you. [Applause.].