Heritage Day vs Braai Day

• September 19, 2019
• Posted by RainbowECD
• 0 comments

This month we celebrate Heritage Day. I’ve noticed too many people (adults) refer to this day loosely as ‘Braai Day’ and I find myself asking the question, is ‘braai’ing’ really our heritage? Is this really what years of fighting for our freedom, our rich culture and story is left to? Braai’ing? That does not seem nearly good enough. Our ancestors would be ashamed of us.

So that’s left me pondering on what Heritage Day means to us, here in the ECD sector and what then is our responsibility to teach our children? Do we continue this ‘Braai Day’ agenda or do we teach little ones something other?
Here at Rainbow ECD, we are lucky enough to have a healthy mix of children from South Africa, Malawi and Zimbabwe. I think we are privileged to have this diversity represented here. With all the recent Xenophobic attacks and dialogue, I look at our little ones and I hope they have a different dialogue in their future. But who is responsible for teaching them these things? And exactly which country’s heritage do we then teach them?
Children at our school are too little to understand our complex history. I guess our responsibility is then to teach them about being African.

What does it then mean to be an African child? How do we teach our children to be proud of what it is to be African? There are many levels to this but I will bring it home to just the most basic. Here in South Africa, we have coined the term (across races) of Ubuntu (Zulu pronunciation: [ùɓúntʼù]) is a Nguni Bantu term meaning “humanity.” It is often translated as “I am because we are,” or “humanity towards others”
I am reminded of a Danish volunteer who explained how watching our children share fruit pieces without a fight changed him forever. He grew up an only child and everything was a competition among his peers. Where he was from, sharing fruit would not be so simple. I’ve witnessed how the children share lunch boxes with one another. Although sharing is always encouraged, it also comes naturally. My only child did not find it this ‘natural’ which tells me that it comes from the community at large and not just us here at school. It’s quite simple is it not, “I am because we are”. Treat one another with compassion because we are part of a whole. The sooner our children learn that lesson, the sooner we can win this race towards raising compassionate human beings.

Our mix of cultures, religions, races and languages differ us greatly, but we all belong to this continent. To us and our children, this is home. Teaching our children to love our home is what I believe celebrating our Heritage his really about. Teach our little boys and girls that they are not limited, in their home they are safe to express themselves freely. Us Africans, no matter the adversity, are hopeful people. We believe above all else that things will get better. Teach them to not only love who they are, but also to be proud of who they are.

In South Africa, we have a long way to go. Here in ECD, we are also in a unique position to groom children to be confident, compassionate and strong humans. It starts with us, right here. It’s our job to teach them that they are beautiful, unique, smart and able to make a difference. They don’t stay this little for very long, we should use our influence with them responsibly.

I’ll end by saying, we are not just born in Africa, Africa is also born in us.
I will not minimize what South Africa and my people has had to endure for my privilege, by referring to my Heritage as “braai’ing” – So keep your Braai Day while I give thanks for my Heritage.

– Candice