| Port Elizabeth - The Eastern Cape is set to commemorate Heritage month by revitalizing the province's flair for poetry, languages and oral and written literature.
Launching heritage month on Thursday, MEC for Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture Noxolo Abraham-Ntantiso said this year's celebrations would be themed: "Celebrating South African Poetry."
"Poetry is one of the components of our heritage that transcends all population groups, cultural backgrounds and age groups.
"As custodians of the province's heritage, the department is committed to promoting a culture of reading and writing, as well as encouraging the equitable development of all our languages in the Eastern Cape," the MEC said
Poetry is an art form celebrated among all societies in Africa, the roots of which can be traced back to the indigenous oral traditions of Africa.
"Oral narratives play an important role in the transmission of culture and history from one generation to the other," she said.
The MEC explained that in African societies poetry was used as a vehicle for transmitting knowledge and served as a store for people's heritage alongside other forms of oral tradition such as myths, epics, folktales, proverbs, riddles and songs to mention a few.
"Beyond the words that are molded into a verse, poetry is a form of cultural expression that provides necessary critical perspectives on every day experiences, and thus gives a profound insight on various aspects of human nature," she said.
The MEC said this was important as the country's intangible cultural heritage had been marginalized in the past.
"This year's celebrations are therefore aimed at showcasing aspects of the province's rich and diverse cultural heritage that had not been given greater prominence in the past," she said.
The MEC further called on the province's citizens to join hands with the department, the House of Traditional Leaders and the Cacadu District Municipality in their mission to transform the province's skewed cultural landscape.
"We want all South Africans to take ownership of projects of this nature, and this can only be achieved through active community participation in ventures of this magnitude."
The MEC said it was vital to profile the aspects of cultural practices and art forms that had been marginalised in the past, to educate South Africans about the importance of their diverse cultures.
"More importantly, understanding of other communities' cultures within the country will go a long way towards promoting cultural tolerance, and thus harnessing social cohesion," she said. - BuaNews | |
