What we're made of

Yesterday (and for the lucky few, today) people all over South Africa celebrated Heritage Day. Also favourably known as Braai Day. Spirits were high and celebrations rolled out all over the country. But what were we really celebrating? While I was recovering from my own celebrations that took place on Wednesday night, I got a message from a nearest and dearest (well second to the man in her life) wishing me a "great heritage day, whatever that means."

It got me thinking, what is my heritage and what am I celebrating? Now, I've said it before, I'm a South African and I love South Africa. But it still didn't really answer the question for me. And no, I didn't braai. I spent the day like any young, independent self respecting South African would - my version anyway. I stayed in bed all morning, went book shopping, watched a movie and came home to be even more idle. What a fabulous day. Ironically enough, I watched Disgrace, the movie adaptation of JM Coetzee's novel of the same name. Wow. John Malkovitch is a star and his performance arresting. I've read the book as a set work book while studying and although it was controversial, and my Print Media lecturer wasn't a fan, I loved it.

But seeing the movie highlighted what I might have missed, message-wise, in the book. I could never understand why JM Coetzee gave up his South African citizenship to live in Australia. It was beyond my perspective, he was a respected South African author who became a South African-born Australian author. It got me thinking about heritage. In particular because the book and the movie highlights the abuse of heritage in this country firstly and secondly, just how much of our heritage keeps us apart but keeps us coming back for more. We're addicted to the irony perhaps.

Disgrace. It is a disgrace the way we are so quick to use our cultural differences to further our own agendas. Maybe we can't celebrate each others differences, maybe that is what will forever keep us apart. Maybe I too could be considered a disgrace, I stayed in bed all morning, was idle most of the day and horror or horrors I didn't have a braai or buy into any of the man made cheer on SA soapie/cheese 7de Laan.

So, again, what is my heritage? Heritage is (in part) practices that are passed down from generation to generation. They don't necessarily have to be good practices it seems, just old ones that have been acted out by many before you. The novelty about heritage is that a lot of those practices don't apply, so they become tourist attractions more than cultural frames of reference. So what do I think about Heritage Day in South Africa? I'm all for tourist attractions but my heritage is something that I think I will continue to construct everyday, out with the old, in with the new. A new heritage is in order for me. And most I think who are willing to look forward and look in the mirror for who and what really defines them.

I hope you all gave some thought to your heritage yesterday. More than that i hope you were able to truly define your own heritage. What actually makes you you, what alliances are important to you and why. How do you define yourself? I hope you found some answers or even gave it some thought. Anything less, in my opinion, is just a disgrace.