It was a sunny day in Mdantsane township, East London, as thousands of people gathered at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium to celebrate Heritage Day 2013.
The stadium was packed and the crowds sang and danced, many dressed in traditional attire as they embraced their culture. It was all about restoring, embracing and reclaiming Heritage Day.
Traditional music played in the background with different bands performing and people whistling to show how excited they are about this day. People were proud to be celebrating Heritage Day, and some happily posed for pictures in their traditional clothes.
Acting President Kgalema Motlante made a grand entrance as he walked down the red carpet towards the National Guard and a gun and canon salute. Aerial acrobatics got the crowd on their feet with excitement.
Delivering the main address of the celebrations, Motlanthe said township dwellers should use the legacy of townships as hotbeds of political activism to reclaim their heritage. Motlanthe said heritage preservation projects should be used to document and celebrate townships legacy.
“The living conditions in Mdantsane, like those in many other South African townships, helped educate and conscientise many people about the need to fight oppression. These celebrations should be an opportunity of telling stories about the people who came to stay in this township,” he said.
Earlier in the day, the Edgerton Massacre was remembered with the acting President unveiling a memorial and laying a wreath at the site where 11 died in 1983. The massacre took place when people travelling by train in the former Ciskei homeland refused to board buses when authorities of the day unilaterally increased travelling fares. Police and security forces opened fire on the protestors, killing 11. Mothlante was accompanied by Arts and Culture Minister Paul Mashatile and the Premier of the Eastern Cape, Noxolo Kiviet, who hails from the area.
Residents of Mdantsane believe Heritage Day is important.
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