Heritage Day gives South Africans a chance to celebrate the extensive cultural wealth of the nation and South Africans are encouraged to celebrate the day by honouring the heritage of the many cultures that make up the country.
The National Heritage Council of South Africa defines heritage as, “what is preserved from the past as the living collective memory of a people, not only to inform the present about the past but also to equip successive generations to fashion their future. It is what creates a sense of identity and assures rootedness and continuity so that what is brought out by dynamism of culture is not changed for its own sake, but it is a result of people’s conscious choice to create a better life.”
The theme for Heritage Month this year is, “Celebrating our cultural diversity in a democratic South Africa”.
This year’s Heritage Day kicks off at the National Indigenous Games Festival, which will happen at Hoy Park, in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. The event will be from 24-29 September 2023.
Below is an infographic that illustrates the various indigenous games in South Africa:
