Chairperson, let me express my grattitude to the ANC for having entrusted it to me to debate on this phenomenal theme of celebrating our craft, which is very close to my heart. Every year the month of September revives our spirit in terms of taking pride in and valuing our cultural practices and traditions.
Crafts play a vital role in our lives, especially in the rural communities. It promotes the values of ubuntu, social cohesion, and gives us an identity. Furthermore, it promotes tourism and contributes to our economy.
The Freedom Charter says that:
The government shall discover, develop and encourage national talent for the enhancement of cultural life;
All the cultural treasures of mankind shall be open to all, by free exchange of books, ideas and contact with other lands;
The colour bar in cultural life, in sport and in education shall be abolished.
During the dawn of democracy in 1994, we removed all the apartheid clauses that created a division; instead we created a rainbow nation where we could celebrate our diversity and affirm our beliefs that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white.
The above is guaranteed in the Freedom Charter and further affirmed in the Constitution of the country. The equality clause under section 9 of the Constitution provides that the state may not unfairly discriminate, directly or indirectly, against anyone on the grounds of ethnicity, colour, social origin, belief or language.
The celebration of our culture, crafts and heritage has been in existence even long before the democratic dispensation. However, not so much cognisance was given in terms of exercising and demonstrating our heritage proudly to other nations.
After 1994, this sector was given a lot of attention and made a priority. In a global world, arts, culture and heritage are often given high priority as they assist the country in terms of income- generating opportunities.
Originally, crafts were a traditional skill of black people, especially from the rural communities and farms who would manufacture during their spare time. Traditional people have been specialising in work such as indigenous wood items, grass mats, pots and paintings. Gradually people graduated to producing serious traditional beadwork attire such as necklaces, bracelets and belts.
Through this artwork rural communities have been using this skill to express their natural creativity and to generate skills and income. Normally women would gather in small groups and work together, singing or even sharing a pot of food. This has promoted the building of the spirit of ubuntu, unity, peace and solidarity amongst the locals. On a large scale this has contributed to nurture the families and develop their communities.
Boineelo Service Club in Ipeleng, Mamusa Municipality in North West, is where elderly people come together on a daily basis to do handwork at this club. This helps them to exercise their hands and also become mentally strong. This gives them an opportunity to talk about their history.
It is very important to maximise the use of institutions like Mmabana in Mafikeng, which used to be the best in crafts. We cannot allow these centres to vanish. Due to the nature of this trade, it is very informal and not legislated. The producers become vulnerable to manipulation. They become victims. They are always cheated and do not get value for their items, which are normally bought at a very low price from them and sold at a very high price either locally or abroad. From there these items would be exported and branded, yet these are proudly South African products.
It requires of us as parliamentarians to empower our people economically and also give these people the necessary skills, eg, financial management and marketing skills so that they can benefit from their work. We also should look into encouraging young people to take this as a career and give them the necessary support.
This month reminds us of who we are and where we come from. Today we have become very Eurocentric in terms of our dress code, the food we eat, the manner in which we relate to one another, the houses we stay in and even to the extent of the medication we use. We have kind of neglected the value of our origin. It is always of great importance to remind ourselves of our own origin and go back to the basics.
There used to be a difference in the dress code of a married and unmarried woman, but today it is not easy to say that. If we compare the dress code of South African women to that of other African countries like Ghana and Nigeria, they are very proud of their African attire.
The beads that we wear often have meaning. To a large extent, it is believed that our traditional dress code, including the beads, have the power to connect us to our ancestral spirits. In Tshivenda, IsiNdebele, Sesotho and IsiXhosa cultures there is a certain manner in which the community would paint their houses. It's a technique. They use different colours that symbolise who they are.
We have become more reliant on Western medication and have neglected the value of African herbs and the role they have been playing for centuries in preserving the rural communities. They further have a role in combating diseases such as HIV and Aids, cancer and diabetes.
Ke tshwanetse go tlhalosa gore mo malatsing a a fetileng jaaka Maaforika re ne re na le ditlhare tsa rona tse re di dirisang tse gompieno di fetoletsweng fela mo sekgoeng. Sekai, motekwane o ne o dirisiwa go fodisa sehuba; lengana le ne le dirisiwa go fodisa sehuba; kgobemetsing e gompieno e bidiwang lavender, ke tee e e neng e thusa go fokotsa kgatelelo ya madi le mogalakane o re o bitsang aloe gompieno, o ne o thusa go fokotsa kgatelelo ya madi le mala a a segang. (Translation of Setswana paragraph follows.)
[I have to explain that in the past as Africans we used to have our own medicine that we used which is being westernised nowadays. For example, weed was used to cure flu, lengana was used to cure flu; kgobemetsing, which is called lavender nowadays, is a tea that helped to reduce blood pressure, and mogalakane, which we call aloe nowadays, was used in helping to reduce high blood pressure and stomach ache.]
Let us all enjoy Heritage Month. Thank you. [Applause.]