SA’s braai master visiting heritage sites

In the run-up to Heritage Day next week, South Africa’s braai-master, Jan Braai, has been touring the country and visiting heritage sites.

He ended his national braai tour at a provincial heritage site in Mossel Bay in the Southern Cape, which is the renowned Pinnacle Point Caves home of Stone Age man.

Research by archaeologists at the site has revealed that the Pinnacle Point Caves contain evidence of man’s modern behaviour dating back 164 000 years.

The caves have revealed the earliest evidence for the use of ochre as paint and the systematic harvesting from the sea for shell fish.
Jan Braai and his team have been travelling across the country to highlight many of South Africa’s heritage sites, and saw it fit to end their national braai tour at the birthplace of the braai.

Nillson says his effort will assist by reconnecting people through their common heritage.

The team was made of around 120 South Africans with a few things in common – a passion for their country, a sense of adventure and of course, a love of braaing.

Braai says it was important for him and his team to pay respect to the place where people made their first braais.

“It is not just the first braai in SA; it’s the first braai by modern humans anywhere in the world. Scientists tell us that all humanity or modern humans stem from this cosy region of SA so it proves two things, and that is firstly that all humans have something in common with the ancestors and secondly that fires and braais were made 162 000 years ago right here in SA.”

Nillson says his effort will assist by reconnecting people through their common heritage.

Braai’s efforts to highlight the heritage sites have been lauded by the custodians of the Pinnacle Point Caves. Archeologist Dr Peter Nillson says his effort will assist by reconnecting people through their common heritage.

“ What Jan is trying to do through the braai tour and the shared braai culture that we have is to unify people and pull people together so I think not only in having this big group around but the impact the group is having on the people and the places they visit is hugely important and I think it is the same message we trying to get across that we need to realise that we all are from the same family and that we do better with each other than competing with each other so I think what he is doing is very important indeed.”

Braai and his team will now return to Johannesburg where they will gear up for the 24th of September which is Heritage Day as well as National Braai Day.

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