HERITAGE DAY

Has it lost its meaning in this generation?

It’s a day that is supposed to be celebrated by all South Africans embracing their diverse cultures and traditions across the country. It’s a day where people from different tribes and nations commemorate the cultural heritage of all the cultures that make up this beautiful ‘rainbow nation’.

As a student who’s staying in residence, I walked around campus on the Heritage Day just to see the vibe on the day. The noise at the pool house welcomed me, girls giggling non-stop, while guys were braaing and holding beers, eyes sparkling, chatting so loudly and music pumping.

“Hey girl, It’s a National Braai Day, loosen up come have fun with us,” said one of the guys inviting me to join in. I thanked him for the offer and told him that I was only there for my assignment and I wouldn’t know if he really understood me because I could tell that he was already drunk.

I sat there, asking myself questions…wondering if this is how people, specifically young people think the day is all about? Is it about boozing and braaing only? What about the past, the present and the future of our heritage?
Siyavuya Ketshengana (21) a third year who’s doing his National Diploma in accounting believes that there’s more to Heritage Day than drinking and having fun. “We’re supposed to be celebrating our cultural traditions, our unity in diversity as the country and obviously as time goes by, everything is evolving and we have to try by all means to keep and maintain our different traditions,” he said.

With a debate that has been going on for a while about the day being re-branded or renamed to “National Braai Day”, Ketshengana stressed that the day might lose its meaning. “Look around you, young people are starting to forget their roots, think about what’s going to happen in 5-10 years’ time? This day only comes once in a year what’s so hard in forgetting about ‘Western stuff’ and come together as ‘Africans’ to just embrace and enjoy it?” he added.

However, 19-year-old Zimkhitha feels like the heritage day is a waste of her ‘precious’ time. “Who cares about these ancient traditions anyway? Time is ticking and life goes on we can’t be going backwards all the time, people need to F***en move on,” she said as she flicked her 16-18 inch weave.

I also had a privilege of talking to an elder, Sibongiseni Mkhive who works as a security officer on campus. He insinuated that the current generation is lost and the national braai day is an insult to Africans. He believes that after this generation our cultures and traditions will be extinct. He said, “Our fathers have tried to pass this onto us and we also tried to pass it to this generation but it’s hard because of the things like this braai day.”

Mkhive went on to say that people are trying to destroy our traditions because Heritage Day will no longer have a meaning and that will have a negative impact on people because tradition teaches us humanity and there’s no way that a braai day will do that.

One of the most influential people on twitter Khaya Dlanga tweeted: “I am concerned that years down the line, children will think that #HeritageDay is about braais and not history.” I’m not sure if it’s true but I believe that time will tell.

MY LOVE and PASSION FOR RADIO

The vital role IT has played in my life...

 

 

 

Okay this takes me back to 2012... when i enrolled for Journalism course. As I'd expected/heard, journalism is a very broad course with a variety of fields to choose from. The moment I walked in the radio journalism class early last year...my dear GOD... I was nervous as hell…I kinda thought that I was in the wrong place, everyone was talking about “vox pops” and as a newbie in the class I was confused not that I didn’t know what a vox pop was but because it was my first time to actually participate in one.

Few minutes after that, I felt warm and welcomed and suddenly that feeling of doing what you were born for and meant to do hit me. As a Radio junkie I felt deeply in love with the Media Production  subject which was divided into two modules:Radio and Photo Journalism. (but i didn't really like photo-journ)

I quickly thought of Makhosi Khoza, Alex Jay, Patrick Hayworth, Siyabonga Ngcangisa, Luckeez Mfowethu, Sizwe Saliso, Mzukisi Solani, Mark Pilgrim, Pabi Moloi, Ryan Seacrest, Bongi Mbelu, Poppy Ntshongwana, Luyanda "luks" Gidane, Kabelo "KB" Ngakane, Ndumiso Ngcobo, Lucky Sefatsa, Anele Mdoda, Dineo Lusenga, Stacey Norman,Ms Cosmo...Okay wait...whooooa...HOLD ON snaz!! Why do i feel like i'm such a hypocrite for mentioning all these people in one paragraph? well..YES, they might be competing for LISTENERShip but they all have one thing in common: Passion for radio!!!!!

I kinda feel bad for being a "traitor" or "radio slut" who listens here and there but i can't help myself because these Radio Personalities have shaped my career or should i say life? in one way or another. I fell inlove with radio during my teenage years but i never knew that i'd be THIS obsessed with it. It started when i was 15/16, while other kids were out playing/ meeting their boyfriends and girlfriends i was that weird lifeless girl who'd always have radio/stereo next to her.
At first it was all about the music...POP music and then their voices as they were talking i had like, my very own pictures in my mind on how they looked liked or what they were doing while presenting. But then as i grew older and older i realized that there was more to radio than that! There was this something really SPECIAL about it and the relationship between presenters and listeners (even though they would argue at times) was just too cute.

I noticed that the presenters could sometimes be LISTENERS and vice versa. I used to focus only on presenters but as time went by i learnt that it was a give and take platform because these people shared their experiences and advised each other.

Unlike TV, Magazines (oooooh i love them by the way,but that's a story for another day) and Newspapers...RADIO is NOW!!! and one doesn't need to be literate to understand it because in S.A we have more than 19 radio stations with all different S.A languages so it it's easier for  people in all different age groups to access the happenings around them without having to read about it.

Radio's role is to inform,entertain and educate people and the people i've mentioned above have that in mind and i've listened to all of them and they've never disapponted me,EVER!

www.spraguephoto.com

It inspires different people across the globe, it brings them together, makes changes in peoples'lives(big/small),it brings hope to the hopeless and knowledge and honestly i don't know where i would  be without my radio because I learnt more about the course that i'm doing at the moment (Journalism) on the radio and Siya Ngcangisa was my inspiration.