Usuku Lwamasiko [Heritage Day]

Every year South Africa celebrates their rich culture on September 24th, Heritage Day. In an address marking Heritage Day in 1996, (former) President Mandela stated:

"When our first democratically-elected government decided to make Heritage Day one of our national days, we did so because we knew that our rich and varied cultural heritage has a profound power to help build our new nation.

We did so knowing that the struggles against the injustice and inequities of the past are part of our national identity; they are part of our culture. We knew that, if indeed our nation has to rise like the proverbial phoenix from the ashes of division and conflict, we had to acknowledge those whose selfless efforts and talents were dedicated to this goal of non-racial democracy."

I was very excited to find a way to go to a Heritage Day community celebration in Honeyville. I went with the volunteers who work with Youth for Christ-- it was funny because I went to their house half an hour before leaving and we just went together... Good thing we got along because it might have been odd to spend the day with a bunch of strangers and then not like each other. I was with 6 other girls between the ages of 19 and 24 and it just so happened that they were in pairs- two from Australia, two from Holland, and two from Germany. Not all of them speak English too well, but it was still great talking to them and asking how they ended up in South Africa.

Anyway, back to Heritage Day. Zulus are very aware of their unique culture and often use Heritage Day as a time to remember King Shaka, a prominent figure in Zulu history. I was so happy to see such an exhibition of culture from this township community. There was lots of dancing from boy and girls, big kids and little kids. There was singing, a funny skit, and what I think was spoken word [all in Zulu, so it was hard to tell]. I love Zulu dance. As you will see in the pictures, you have to be pretty flexible to do it because it involves kicking your leg straight up into the air and rhythmically throwing it back down to the ground. The girls' outfits usually involve beaded skirts, necklaces and headbands, sometimes knee bands and arm bands... for this occasion it just depended on what the family had. The girls are bare-chested, which is very popular in Zulu culture. The breasts are not something to be hidden, they are a woman's best asset as they provide nourishment for the next generation. But I am told that as soon as woman marries, she is to keep her breasts covered.

Much of the Zulu tradition was suppressed in the Apartheid era, so it seems as if they are working hard to revive it by keeping certain dances and traditions very alive in the children. One man was telling me how he is so happy that the children do traditional dance because it gives them a place to stay safe and out of trouble after school. I believe, or at least hope, that the culture won't fade away any time soon.

We had brought food for the community and after the celebration everyone went and got something to eat-- except for us, that is. We were approached by a girl who asked if we wanted to play a game. Okay, I thought, this will be some hand-game or ring-around-the-rosie or something like that. When we went outside, she told us we were playing netball. Netball? I had heard it was like basketball with some very distinct differences... but that was all I knew. The two Australians were the only two that knew what netball was and the rest of us were pretty clueless... we were also going to have to play in sandals/bare feet so that also put us at a slight disadvantage. We walked down to the netball court and I immediately noticed that the opposing team was in uniform... we were playing the Maritzburg regional team. Let's just say it was a sight to see [hence the small crowd formed in order to watch what turned out to be a comedy show]. I wish someone had a camera to take a picture of that mess-- the foreigners getting schooled by the local girls team. I don't know what the final score was, but it was something like one million to three.

Also, just a side note: You can see most all the pictures that I have taken since being in South Africa at http://picasaweb.google.com/brittanbsmith. You have seen most all of these photos through the slideshows I add to my posts, but in case you wanted to take a closer look or comment on them, they are right there!