Shaka Day is the real meaning or reason why we celebrate Heritage Day in South Africa. This meaning was systematically washed away with apartheid at the dawn of a democratic South Africa. The day was officially converted to Heritage Day in 1996, two years after the first democratic elections, and has been celebrated as such ever since.
Shaka Day was particularly important to the Nguni nations, especially the Zulus in the KwaZulu Natal region. The day marked the death of Shaka Zulu, a powerful king who mobilized various clans in the region to form one large Zulu nation.
According to history, Shaka Zulu died on September 24, 1828. To this day, he is one of the most influential leaders in the Zulu nation. The day was then celebrated as Shaka Day. This important history has somehow been lost and there seems to be a concerted effort to erase it completely.
In the run-up to Tuesday, as in previous years, I heard many voices advocating for Braai Day.
I have no problem with the way people celebrate their national holidays, but I start to worry when their influence or ideas are passed on to me as if they are superior.
As a Nguni person I have strongly rejected this idea. I believe it is a narrative that is perpetuated to distort our history and promote a particular ideology that has no meaning for the larger people of this country.
What is Braai Day? It is nonsense to me. I see it as a marketing ploy by big companies to earn some extra rands.
On Heritage Day we celebrate our history and heritage and teach the younger generation about their origins.
South Africa has a rich history and most of it is disappearing fast. There are many things we are proud of but they are all disappearing because we cannot preserve them.
We are failing as a nation and in the years to come we will be dependent on other countries to educate or tell us about our heritage.
In December 2022, we saw the passing of Latozi Mpahleni, better known as Madosini. She was the last surviving and well-known person who played traditional instruments such as uhadi, umrhubhe and isitolotolo.
I know she worked with certain people to preserve these instruments after her death. She also worked with many international artists such as Hilton Schilder, Jonny Blundell, WhaWha Mosieu and Pedro Espi-Sanchis.
Madosini also performed with Pedro at many music festivals, storytelling and poetry festivals around the world. She had great respect for Pedro. When Madosini died, Pedro must have learned a lot from him about our culture and some of our traditional instruments. Only time will tell who benefited most from Madosini’s wealth of knowledge, local groups or international artists. Heritage for me is about celebrating these important life lessons rather than wasting my hard earned money on big corporations.
Thulani Magazi
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