Chairperson, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers, hon members of this House, guests and special delegates, ladies and gentlemen, allow me to greet you this afternoon.
I am honoured to take part in this debate on the Budget Vote for Arts and Culture. A learner is developed at school holistically; that means mentally, emotionally and physically and also culturally. That is why arts and culture in South Africa is a nation-building tool. It has different types of programmes to develop learners socially and promotes all official languages.
The ANC-led government has opened our minds by encouraging everybody to love his or her own culture. It has taken us out of feeling ashamed of who we are. In the past we used to feel embarrassed or downcast for being black people. We even had the impression that God had made a mistake in creating us, because we thought that "they" were better off than us. "They" also said to us that, because our heads have short hair, our minds are also short.
The Department of Arts and Culture, led by the ANC government, promotes all languages, and it doesn't just acknowledge the fact that we live in a diverse country, but enhances the diversity of the country. Because the ANC knows that we were marginalised by the previous government, it provides economic opportunities through arts and culture, globally and nationally.
It also seeks to promote our country's heritage. Our own people, who can do artwork, can display their artwork in galleries and exhibitions and thus put food on the table for their families. The ANC leads! The ANC lives!
The Department of Arts and Culture has a clear policy and priorities for 2009-10, as the Minister has already told us. Some of our indigenous languages are starting to fade bit by bit. This department has a duty to ensure that this does not happen, and can do so by launching more of the African literature catalogue in all areas. As a country that has a Constitution which does not discriminate against any person - the Constitution has no colour or race; it accommodates everybody - the department must also take into cognisance the languages of the Khoisan.
The Freedom Charter has a clause that says, "The doors of learning shall be opened to all!". This also stresses the fact that those who are disabled will be accommodated. This then suggests that this department, together with the Department of Education, must introduce arts and culture as a subject at all levels of schools, and accommodate the disabled at schools and universities. The Department of Education has now introduced inclusive education.
It has already been said that arts and culture will play a role in the present economic crisis. This department can open up centres even in small areas or rural areas where our people can make beaded goods and artwork to promote all types of culture. By doing this, they will be selling their work ...
... ukuze bagxothe indlala emakhaya [... in order to eradicate poverty in their homes].
The department should also look at resourcing the libraries that are underresourced, because the libraries are sources of information for our young generations and for us all.
Upon looking at the budget allocation for this department, one gets the feeling that it is not enough. However, never mind, Minister, budgets are always not enough.
At the same time, to promote the culture of learning in our schools, we need to look at those schools that do not have enough books and art material. We also need to look at those schools that have bought those books but do not use them. Those books are just lying around in rooms that are closed and locked.
Our actors in the entertainment industry die bankrupt. Others are so bankrupt that sometimes their families do not even have money to bury them. These people are famous and well-known. Acting should not be regarded as a part-time job, because others make a full-time living out of it.
Does the arts festival in Grahamstown, which is an annual event, have an impact on the surrounding small towns like Addo, Kirkwood and others? Do the people of these areas gain something economically out of this festival?
Our national symbols are of vital importance, because they are our national identity. Each national symbol has a purpose. That is why each citizen of this country needs to know what it stands for. The national flag has colours, but learners in our schools do not know what each colour represents. It won't surprise me if even our educators do not know anything about this.
I was once an educator in a very small rural town called Jamestown in the Eastern Cape. I was the only teacher who could analyse the symbols in our coat of arms. This may sound like a joke ...
... ibe ngathi yinto engakhathalelekanga ... [... like something that is not heeded ...] ... but it is very important, so that our youth can get to know why they must take pride in these symbols. They need to know what these symbols stand for, and what each colour symbolises.
Most of our people think that it is a waste of money to have all these symbols. This department has a duty to promote these symbols nationally, provincially and locally, as much as they can.
When we talk about the transformation of the South African heritage landscape through standardisation, the President in his state of the nation address said:
We will ensure a common national approach to the changing of geographic and place names. This must provide an opportunity to involve all South Africans in forging an inclusive national identity, to deepen our understanding of our history and heritage. This is long overdue as we are in the 15th year of democracy and there are still townships called Native Yard, NY1, in Gugulethu, here in Cape Town, and Osborne Road in Meadowlands, with all the English names from Kofifi.
In conclusion, we would want to see monitoring and enforcement mechanisms put in place in all provinces to ensure that all these objectives bring about a truly better life for our citizens. Working together, we can do more. Our select committee supports the Budget Vote unreservedly. I thank you. [Applause.]