Heritage Day is a call for celebration. South Africa is a culturally-rich country with 11 official languages and it consists of a diverse population of 59 million people. One way to introduce children to the importance of this day is to allow them to have a whole day in their school calendar dedicated to exploring the different facets of the topic of ‘culture’.
The day can begin by allowing learners to dress up in their traditional wear. This is a lovely way to spark conversation about different garments.
Afterwards, you could dive into a pre-made lesson plan. This can include presenting a slideshow on topics such as the ‘history of South Africa’ or even unpacking the 8 world heritage sites:
- Robben Island (Western Cape) is best known as the place where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned.
- iSimangaliso Wetland Park (KwaZulu-Natal) is home to the largest estuary in Africa as well as the southernmost coral reef in Africa.
- Cradle of Humankind (Gauteng) includes the hominid fossil sites at Swartkrans, Sterkfontein and Kromdraai.
- Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Park (KwaZulu-Natal) is where the most concentrated collection of rock paintings in Africa can be seen.
- Mapungubwe Heritage Site (Limpopo). This was South Africa’s first kingdom which traded with China and India and is also known as the “place of the stone of wisdom”.
- Cape Floral Kingdom (Western Cape) is 1 of 18 biodiversity hotspots globally. Some of the protected areas that you may already know are Table Mountain, Cederberg wilderness area and Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden.
- Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape (Northern Cape) covers a vast area of mountainous desert in the north-west part of South Africa.
- Vredefort Dome (Free State) is where the world’s largest meteorite impact crater is.
For lunch, you could encourage each child to bring a different food or drink that is quintessential to their culture and ask them to explain how it is made or ask them to give an interesting fact about it. This is another brilliant way to encourage casual conversation.
To add to the ambience, you could get the learners to colour in different flags, and later have a little pop quiz to test them on the different names of the countries.
Lastly, different dances, songs or interesting traditions specific to their culture can be shown either through physical demonstration or even video clips online.
Heritage Day is an important day for remembering one’s history and way of life that make us truly unique. It is a day where people should develop an understanding and willingness to learn about other people. And moreover, it is a good day to have a braai in true South African style!
