What is heritage? A simple question that might conjure up different answers from different people based on their understanding of the concept. We live in a third world country called South Africa that has a rich history and a variety of cultures and races.
Take a trip to the townships in Johannesburg, for instance, and you’ll bump into something known as ‘ikota’. 2 slices of bread filled with slap chips, a russian, melted cheese and topped with an egg – scrumptious! This mouth-watering mountain of a sandwich has become the epitome of township fast food.
The equivalent of a bunny chow, mostly popular in Kwa-Zulu Natal, is available all over the country making it a convenient and filling snack. The kota can be attributed to black Africans living in townships while the bunny chow is deeply rooted in Indian culture. But at the end of the day both cuisines are appreciated across the whole spectrum.
The rural areas we have are rich in agriculture, which makes for a good scenery usually found in travel and leisure magazines. The abundance of rainfall enjoyed by some of our provinces is conducive to the beautiful greenery that puts one’s mind at ease when enjoying the view from a lodge.
The ghetto lingo is a reflection of our backgrounds and dates back to the early 1900’s when tsotsitaal was used to deceive unsuspecting victims of crime. Today this form of slang is part of our everyday discourse and is viewed as ‘cool’ by the youth.
The question still remains, however, what is heritage? From what I’ve mentioned in the previous stanzas heritage can be viewed as a reflection of a country. South Africa has its heritage regarding history and politics and at the same time South Africans have their own heritage that is influenced by familial settings.
The consciousness that accompanies one’s pride in their heritage is nothing short of the term ‘priceless’.
With that being said, ‘Happy Heritage Month’.
