Our diversity makes us a stronger nation
If only to repeat the obvious, South Africa is a diverse country, with varied cultures, and no single culture has the right to claim precedence over others.
Living in a post-modern society, we often seem to see ourselves as a cosmopolitan society – drawn from different backgrounds, and indeed, from different provinces, all part of a diverse society in the same melting pot – a landscape where different communities co-exist, and have their cultures, aspirations and perspectives all mixed together.
Added to the mix, is the concept of egalitarianism – which is the notion that with all that we bring to the melting pot of diversity, we are, or ought to be, driven by the principle of equality, and all that goes with it, including equality of opportunity.
In the past, during the old apartheid era, the oppressors divided us, using ethnicity as a tool to weaken our nationhood for the simple reason of conquest – and to weaken the bond of unity among us, our unity in diversity.
Heritage Day, celebrated today on September 24, was first known, until 1994, as Shaka Day.
However, following the onset of the new democratic order in 1994, this was changed – stripping it of its ethnicity narrowness, and widening its relevance to embrace all who live in SA.
Now, with the new name of Heritage Day settled since 1995, a new nation was born, reflecting the country’s diversities.
What does this all mean?
The philosophy is borne out of the idea that we all ought to bring to the melting pot diverse cultures in all their wonderful manifestations.
With this in mind, and recognising marked human differences we cannot wish away, we can still knuckle down to be a nation or people able to transcend all the strictures brought about by diversity, forging ahead to become a powerful and prosperous nation despite our many differences.
Today, in all parts of the country we will gather to celebrate our diversity. This will manifest even in dishes we prepare, people in each group, bringing what they consider representing them through food, dance, dress and music, among other things.
The day is about affirmation of one another, whatever our ethnic groupings, and seeking coexistence with each other, and the debunking of stereotypes of othering others just because they may not look like us.
Life – the whole of it – is also about contradictions, and the ability as different communities coming from different backgrounds to smooth out rough edges through dialogue.
Desmond Tutu’s Rainbow Nation metaphor is significant. In many ways the metaphor calls each of us to embrace multiculturalism and the coming together of different communities working for the common good.
We are not naïve to think that this is not a difficult proposition.
We are also aware of the redress that has been slow to come about, and which must be accelerated if black people are to embrace the concept of a Rainbow Nation.
We wish all our readers a joyful Heritage Day.
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