In anticipation of 24 September, teachers, learners and members of the local community recently enjoyed fun-filled celebrations at Nombulelo School as part of a teachers initiative to promote local culture and commemorate Heritage Day.
In anticipation of 24 September, teachers, learners and members of the local community recently enjoyed fun-filled celebrations at Nombulelo School as part of a teachers initiative to promote local culture and commemorate Heritage Day.
Nomalungelo Lukwe, a teacher at Nombulelo School and chief organiser of the event, said the initiative was part of efforts to encourage local youths to embrace their heritage and not be consumed by western culture.
"We are concentrating on showing the learners our traditions so that they don’t forget their history. Today is meant as a motivation to our learners," she said.
Traditional dancing performances by the teachers as well as traditional poetry recitals and readings formed part of the celebrations, while learners assisted their teachers in cooking traditional meals as part of efforts to encourage an interest in traditional food.
Meals included African salad (stiff maize meal and maas); umxhaxha, which is a combination of mielies, pumpkin and sugar; umfino (boiled wild spinach with maize meal) and isopi, a soupy mixture of mielies and sugar beans.
Lukwe said the idea behind the cooking was to get learners acquainted with the tastes and smells of traditional food because in many cases they refuse to eat it without even knowing what it tastes like.
"Traditional things bring you back to where you come from. The learners tasted each one of the dishes and many of them didn’t even know what the food tasted like before.
This is about knowing your roots because when children leave for university or travelling, they tend to forget their culture," she said. Traditional healers and sangomas also performed for the crowd.
The event, the first of its kind at Nombulelo School, was initiated by Life Orientation teachers Nomalungelo Lukwe, Nomawethu Tshozi and Pakama Mdingi.
Lukwe, said she was happy with the turnout for the event, said there are plans afoot to establish the celebrations as an annual event.
Fellow teacher Sindiswa Pati said she hoped the learners would follow their teachers’ lead by showing a keen interest in their heritage.
