“I'm just so excited, I have to sing!” said Sibongile Van Damme, CEO of the South African Heritage Resource Agency (SAHRA), at yesterday's launch of the agency's Integrated Heritage Resources Management Course.
“I'm just so excited, I have to sing!” said Sibongile Van Damme, CEO of the South African Heritage Resource Agency (SAHRA), at yesterday's launch of the agency's Integrated Heritage Resources Management Course.
The event was hosted by Rhodes University and the Department of Arts and Culture, both partnering with the agency in making this exciting move for heritage preservation in South Africa.
From dinosaur fossils to antique documents, the agency is the primary organisation in charge of preserving, managing and celebrating South Africa's rich historical background. This new project involves students from all South Africa's provinces taking part in a 12-day course over four months, training them in skills such as heritage management, community outreach and the advantages of heritage tourism.
Minister of Arts and Culture, Paul Mashatile, addressed the assembled guests on the role of heritage in South Africa. “It is through the preservation of our heritage that as a nation we are able to document the story of our past, of our present and of our future.”
Adding actions to his words, he explained the plans for Grahamstown's Old Gaol on Somerset Street. “The Old Gaol will be renovated, refurbished and transformed into a centre for heritage training. We have allocated an initial amount of R10 million towards this.
"I am aware that the Old Gaol, which is older than 200 years and is an important part of our country’s history, has suffered significant neglect in the past. Today I wish to assure all of you that the neglect suffered by this important heritage site is a thing of the past. The site will be restored and will be part of country’s precious heritage assets. Given this site’s rich history and heritage, we could not have chosen a better venue to house our training centre for the heritage sector.”
“We have a major problem with uneducated citizens vandalising and destroying important natural and historical heritage sites,” said one of the students, Nunu Dlungwana from Amatole District Municipality in East London.
“All of us students, from teachers to community leaders, will do our best on this course as we can take back precious information to home towns where we can protect our history, educate those around us and develop our heritage tourism.”
According to a media statement from the South African Heritage Resource Agency, the professional development course seeks to:
• Develop a clear working understanding of policy and legislation governing heritage resources management.
• Understand, implement and review heritage management practices within an Integrated Heritage Resources Management Framework.
• Strengthen participatory approaches to heritage resources management.
• Recognise and contribute to the role of heritage management in mainstreaming cultural diversity, inclusivity, and transformation in post-apartheid South Africa.
Van Damme, who is a Rhodes alumnus, believes Grahamstown was the best choice for the home base of the project. “In Grahamstown we have the university, the South African Library for the Blind, the National English Literary Museum, and of course the Arts Festival.
With the help of the Environmental Learning Centre, we have managed to merge the history of natural heritage with cultural heritage., We also have representatives from the Khoisan population and elders of the area, who help us with the histories that have not yet been written down.”
The course started yesterday, with more than 40 heritage practitioners, drawn from diverse heritage sectors, participating. The first phase of development on the Old Gaol is expected to be completed by the end of the 2012-13 financial year.
