"We want to restore our own rules, because we are proud of our culture," Vhamusanda Vho-Vhathundimapfura Sinthumule said during a heritage celebration gala dinner, held at the Kone Village Boutique on Tuesday, 20 September.
Sinthumule said that Heritage Day would remain an integral part of the Vhavenda nation and celebrated forever. "The Vhavenda nation is not a lost nation. This is the reason why we allow ourselves the time to come and gather here. We want to urge parents to allow their children to attend Heritage Day celebrations, where they can learn more about their heritage. I am glad to see people dressed in different, colourful attire that represent their cultures. This only shows that, as a community, we are proud of our heritage and culture," said Sinthumule.
The Director of the Vhembe Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, Mr Collins "Thagalu" Thovhakale, said the heritage celebrations should include all the ethnic groups in the province, not just the Vhavenda. "This we should do in order to enhance social cohesion in the province where all cultural groups can meet and interact with each other."
Thovhakale further said that one of the strategic objectives of his department was to protect, preserve, promote and develop sports, arts, culture and heritage, and also to advance the socio-economic inclusivity and contribution of the sector. "The recognition of South Africa's indigenous knowledge is one of protecting, promoting and preserving our heritage," he said.
Vhembe's acting Executive Mayor Cllr Shonisani Sinyosi said she was proud of their culture, and that it rested upon the young school learners of today to restore the culture and dignity of the Vhavenda people. "Our indigenous knowledge, which is our intangible cultural heritage, allows for identity and a sense of belonging for people, as well as an accumulation of intellectual capital for current and future generations in the context of mutual need to transfer skills from generation to generation in order for the young to learn from their elders. We also need to mainstream our indigenous knowledge system into our education curriculum, so that all our youths will be able to drink from the fountain of our elders, even if they don't have grandparents to teach them our indigenous ways of doing things," she said.