The importance of Heritage Week

The Zone spoke to Nust students about Heritage Week, which took place from 17 to 23 September, its importance and how they keep it alive.

Grayden Basson

As a coloured, I was not brought up knowing my tradition or whether or not I even had one. I know we don’t have a specific way of doing things. Weddings are just traditional; nothing spectacular or out of the ordinary happens. Heritage and the knowledge thereof is of utmost importance, especially to young people.

Halleluya Ndimulunde

I see our roots slowly dying and that scares me. I like to keep heritage alive by still wearing my traditional attire. I also still eat traditional food and I don’t allow myself to get side-tracked by all the new modifications. I think parents should continue teaching their children, so that their cultures and traditions are preserved.

Ruaan Cloete

I honestly think Heritage Week is obsolete. The younger generation is oblivious to the history of their people. This is not as much of an issue as people think, because we have different struggles to our ancestors and we should focus on what we are going through now.

Ethan Constable

In our family Heritage Week is not something we wait to celebrate. We try to learn about and celebrate our cultures and traditions in our daily lives. It is the little things that count.

Agnes Sitahani

Heritage to me means acknowledging ones roots - where you come from. It is all about knowing who you are as a person. as well as your role in your ethnic group. It is so important to me that people know and celebrate their cultures and their ancestors. I am mixed, but I make it my priority to celebrate and represent each side equally.

Foibe Emvula

Heritage is all about the inherited traditions, monuments and cultures. It is an expression of the ways of living developed by a community and passed on from generation to generation. To ensure that we keep it alive, it is important that people also take time to teach the younger generations the ways of their people.

Linus Katshuna

I believe heritage in its full capacity is our cultures, traditions and other contemporary activities that we draw from our ancestors and the older generations. I do my best to try and familiarise myself with certain food and traditional clothing, which are unique to my culture.

Freddie Tuhafeni

Heritage Week is very important to me and is vital to ensure we embrace and sustain our cultures, which are dying out. We need to utilise each and any platform to promote and make sure everyone celebrates and even knows about Heritage Week.

Khienen Feris

Heritage Week is a week of joy and the memories we kept of our ancestors; all those sacrifices gave us total liberty. I hope we all celebrate and respect it for what it is.

Sarafina Leo

Heritage is the legacy of artefacts and attributes of any group or society, which have been inherited from the previous generations, maintained in the present and preserved for future generations. It is also very important that we keep our heritage alive, because it is one of the thing that makes us who we are.

Rebekka Shipatuleni

The celebration of Heritage Week is very important, because it helps us realise and preserve who we are. It keeps people together and helps them cherish and appreciate where they come from.

Festus Ileni

It is very important, as it influences our values and views. Even though I don’t do much to celebrate it, I feel like it is still very important.