The Department of Arts and Culture, with the concurrence of the National Ministers and MECs responsible for culture at their MINMEC meeting of March 2004, adopted the theme "Celebrating Our Living Heritage ("What We Live") in the Tenth Year of our Democracy".

This theme will run for the next three years ending in September 2007. The Department aims to strategically use Heritage Month as a vehicle for a long-term vision of collecting, preserving, protecting, promoting and disseminating living heritage/intangible cultural heritage.

CONCEPT "LIVING HERITAGE"

It is important to note that what South Africa’s policy and legislative documents normally refer to as living heritage is internationally (UNESCO) referred to as Intangible Cultural Heritage. With the recent drafting of the International Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, a new trend is gaining momentum whereby heritage specialists and practitioners are beginning to use "Living Heritage and Intangible Cultural Heritage interchangeably. If someone talks about living heritage it is understood that the discussion is about intangible cultural heritage and vice versa.

"Definition" as outlined in the National Heritage Council Act (Act No 11 of 1999) and the National Heritage Resources Act (Act No 25 of 1999).

"Living Heritage" means the intangible aspects of inherited culture and may include:

• Cultural tradition
• Oral history
• Performance
• Ritual
• Popular memory
• Skills and techniques
• Indigenous knowledge system and
• The holistic approach to nature, society and social relationships.

Article 2(1) of the International Convention for the safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage reads:

For the purpose of this Convention – The "intangible cultural heritage" means the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage, transmitted from generation to generation, is constantly recreated by communities and groups in response to their environment, their interaction with nature and their history, and provides them with a sense of identity and continuity, thus promoting respect for cultural diversity and human creativity. For the purpose of this Convention, consideration will be given solely to such intangible cultural heritage as is compatible with existing international human rights instruments as with the requirements of mutual respect among communities, groups and individuals and of sustainable development.

Article 2(2) proceeds to say "the intangible cultural heritage" as defined in paragraph (1) above, is manifested inter alia in the following:

1. Oral traditions and expressions, including as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage.
2. Performing arts; social practices, rituals and festive events
3. Knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe
4. Traditional craftsmanship

The preceding definitions (both in terms of South African legislation and International Legislation) refer to more or less the same things. The common denominators are oral traditions, performance, rituals and knowledge to nature, society and social relationships. Where one detects differences, it is not differences in terms of substance but only semantics. So using the concepts interchangeably as most South Africans do does not constitute any infringement but the availability of choice.

Living heritage like any other human phenomenon predates imperial and colonial era. It was and still is a lived experience of the various communities at various historical epochs. It is a totality of their experiences; the manner in which they deal with birth, the coming of age, maturity, marriage, old age and death; the manner in which they celebrate theses stages of human development; the manner in which they deal with poverty and destitution, how they build their economies, how they create their stability; how they co-exist with other communities as well as their natural environment, how they narrate their stories, how they sing and dance etc.

The kind of living heritage that we have today is part of the inheritance from our common human ancestry from time immemorial. Our living heritage ranges from oral traditions, oral histories, rituals, indigenous knowledge systems that have been preserved; that have undergone changes and thus have removed or added some new dimensions due to constant interaction among the various communities of the world that originally were separated by space and time distances. This interaction has further been enhanced by global cosmopolitanism that has been brought about by the advent of telecommunications, increased travel and tourism and thus reducing the distance among various communities.

South Africa presents a perfect model of a cosmopolitan society that is comprised of rich and diverse cultural heritage - hence the concept of the Rainbow Nation. It is therefore incumbent upon government to create an enabling environment for the expression and exhibition of various forms of Living Heritage of all population groups. This should happen in the manner that supports our ideals of the non-racial, non-sexist, multilingual and multicultural society. It should also happen within the context of trying to promote the sharing of cultural experiences among various cultural groups because it is through that sharing and mutual appreciation of our common and diverse cultural heritage that we shall achieve national reconciliation, nation building, and social cohesion.

It would be instructive for all cultural groups to share the knowledge about the vicissitudes, which their living heritage has undergone. This could take the form of looking at both the diverse and common elements. It will be important to learn how these cultures have cross-pollinated to create hybrid cultures that have a unique South African character.

It is indeed an advantage that the policies and legislation enacted in the post 1994 advocated the revival and the preservation of the cultural heritage of all South Africans, and thus promoting cultures of all our population groups. The White Paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage as well as its corollaries i.e. The National Heritage Council Act (Act no 11 of 1999) and National Heritage Resources Act (Act no 25 of 1999) bears testimony to the vision designed to achieve this objective.

Government departments, Non-governmental organizations, Community-based organizations and individuals have undertaken pockets of uncoordinated initiatives to preserve and popularize living heritage. Whilst these are recognized and commended, a government-led, synergetic approach as well as a community driven strategies are required in developing a comprehensive programme that captures the imagination of all the South African citizens. The programme should transcend the collection of elements of living heritage and culminate in the development of policy and legislative instruments needed for its protection (in the face of its commercialization/commodification). The pioneers/champions/incubators of living heritage who despite all odds have been able to retain invaluable knowledge must be identified and given appropriate recognition.

1. To celebrate our living heritage in our 10^th Anniversary of our Democracy.
2. To introduce and popularise the International Convention for the safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage
3. To identify and recognize Living Human Treasures
4. To create a platform for a Heritage conversation that will provide greater insight into the subject and subsequently to the formulation of policies and legislation on the preservation, protection and promotion of Living Heritage.
5. To popularise the use of living heritage as a vehicle for nation building, national reconciliation, moral regeneration, social cohesion and towards the creation of a South African national identity.
6. To popularize and promote living heritage and mobilise South Africa around its economic benefits, amongst other things, through tourism.

The South African population is made of diverse and rich cultural heritage. It is this South African public that the department wants to mobilize around the concept of Living Heritage. There is a perception in South Africa that National Days have become a preserve of the African section of the population. This militates against nation building, reconciliation and social cohesion. Our communication and marketing strategies will have to be thought out in such a way that National Days in general and Heritage Days in particular attract the wider South African public.

The Department of Arts and Culture proposes a different approach to the Heritage Month and Heritage Day Programmes for 2004. We propose to discontinue the "National Event" that is usually characterized by a big event at the Union Buildings or any other venue. We envisage a decentralized Heritage Month and Heritage Day that will see the Provinces, Municipalities, Tribal Authorities playing a prominent role in the roll-out strategy so that the Heritage Month and Heritage Day have an impact at a community level and generates capacity to mobilize the South African public around the concept of living Heritage. We hope to use the theme as a springboard to achieve a bigger vision of collecting, preserving, protecting and promoting our Living Heritage. Through this theme, in the next five years, DAC hopes to have established policy and legislation as well as a dynamic national inventory and a database of both Living Heritage and Living Human Treasures since we are losing the latter almost everyday.

We propose focus weeks that will prioritize different elements of Living Heritage. Various stakeholders will provide details of how they plan to implement programmes designed to popularize Living Heritage. The Department of Arts and Culture plans to forge a partnership with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) to ensure that there is a great deal of publicity around the theme and its programmes throughout the month.

Through the partnership with SABC, a panel discussion on Indigenous/Traditional Knowledge and Practices will be organized. The main purpose will be to use South Africa’s cultural heritage to contribute towards the national priorities including the fight against HIV/Aids, crime reduction, the building of a South African national identity and moral regeneration.

To make the idea of indigenous/traditional knowledge and practices alive among the youth, it is important to point to the relevance and the utility value of these practices today (How the youth can benefit socially and economically out of them). For instance, there has been an upsurge in the use of traditional clothes, facials and décor, which the youth must regard as an opportunity for socio-economic empowerment.

South Africans who are known to have unique skills and techniques in the area of indigenous/traditional knowledge and practices will be invited to the SABC and be given a platform to share this knowledge with the entire population. The emphasis should be how these elements of traditional knowledge and practice can be used to deal with the national priorities.

• Indigenous skills, architecture and craftsmanship
• Indigenous food and cooking and preservation techniques (rare)
• Medicine and healing techniques
• Indigenous décor and clothing
• indigenous/traditional music and dance that are associated with different life experiences and rites of passage such as birth, puberty, marriage, death etc.
• oral history and Oral Tradition

This week will be characterized by music and dance programmes designed not only to showcase music and dance performances but to link these to particular stories, events, ceremonies or rituals. This will also be an opportunity to demonstrate how music and dance performances have evolved overtime in a multicultural society and how various cultures have mutually influenced one another (trans-culturation). The rationale behind this exercise will be to emphasize our common heritage that could in fact serve as one of the building blocks for nation building and social cohesion. It will therefore be important to get elders to help us achieve this vision of ensuring that human creativity at various historical epochs is made prominent and gets appreciated by current and future generations.

The Department is working with the universities of Venda, Zululand and Fort Hare in the collection and preservation of Indigenous Music, Dance and Oral History. This week could present an opportunity to showcase the work that this project has yielded.

Of utmost importance, will be the active participation of local communities in the showcasing of indigenous music and dance performances.

There is a tendency to exclusively associate indigenous /traditional knowledge and practices to the African section of our population. This has elicited a wrong perception that other population groups have never been traditional and have never grappled with challenges other traditional communities have dealt with. For instance, the production of food, medicine and ointments centuries ago is completely different from how it is done today. This is a common phenomenon among all the population groups and there is a lot that we can share in terms of how our ancestors engaged in judicious farming methods, how they made fire, how they dug gold and diamonds, how they conserved our environment, how they bred livestock, how they played the roles of midwives, how they brought up the young ones, how they use facials and traditional make-ups etc. The Department would like, for example, to anchor the discussion on indigenous food.

African indigenous food is much healthier and is more affordable than its western equivalents. However it has never been harnessed to show both its nutritional and economic potential.

Indigenous foods like morogo, imifino, tihove, semphemphe, potele, mala mogodi and beverages like gemere are not only symbols of an African identity, but a great and affordable source of nutrition.

The Department intends partnering with the CSIR and Kellogg Foundation in organizing an anchor project/event where indigenous food will be exhibited and displayed. The event will ensure active participation of local communities.

This week will be dedicated to profiling and interviewing individuals or discuss achievements of individuals that have excelled in various aspects of living heritage.

We have used the concept of icons in order to simplify the concept of Living Human Treasures, which is the UNESCO definition of the same concept.

These icons are people who:

• have contributed through solid action towards the revitalisation of a cultural tradition that is at risk of disappearing due to either lack of means for safeguarding and protection or due to the process of rapid change, urbanisation or acculturation
• have demonstrated their role as a means of affirming the cultural identity of the peoples and cultural communities concerned, their importance as a source of inspiration and as a means of bringing peoples and communities closer together
• have provided proof of excellence in the application of skills and techniques
• have given wide evidence of their roots in the cultural tradition or cultural history of the community concerned
• have affirmed their value as unique testimonies of living cultural traditions

The Department of Arts and Culture intends holding a national dialogue on the afore-mentioned national imperatives. The main purpose is to simplify these imperatives for the entire South African citizenry. It is further to discuss the manner in which South can actually realise these ideals.

In recognition of the wisdom that resides in the South African populace, the Department, through the broadcast media, will engage the nation in a discussion on how various aspects of our living heritage can be harnessed to grapple with these national imperatives.

This national dialogue will to a greater degree lay foundation for the development of a National Strategy on the Collection, Protection, Preservation and Promotion of Living Heritage/Intangible Cultural Heritage.

A partnership will be forged with the SABC to have panel discussions on the radio stations on practical programmes that the public wants to put forward for the national department on this subject

The Heritage Day Celebrations will happen in the nine provinces as well as in municipalities. The national department will use the month as a platform to launch the campaign that should culminate in a Strategy to Collect, Preserve, Protect, Promote and Disseminate Living Heritage.