Kwa-Thema – Bkhekizizwe Mahlangu, founder and owner of Juluka 11 Foundations, hosted a Heritage Day celebration at the Kwa-Thema Society for the Care of the Aged on September 20.
“The foundation simply focuses on giving back to the community. As our first event, we decided to host the aged for a Heritage Day celebration. I aim to host this celebration here every year,” said Mahlangu.
He mentioned that Heritage Day is the one day that allows everyone to celebrate their cultural diversity while celebrating their roots, saying the youth does not believe in tradition and the old way of doing things.
“They youth have lost respect, we hardly take care of our elders, we do not know anything about our traditional background and meaning. This is why I figured it would be best to celebrate the day with elders that have paved the way for all of us,” he said.
The event included traditional music and catered traditional meals. Mahlangu added that it was a beautiful moment for him to witness his elders embrace the diverse cultures that make up this beautiful nation.
He further highlighted that heritage is something we inherit from those that came before us citing that it is something we are tasked with preserving and then one day passing on to those who come after us.
“Everyone that came to gather with us at the Care of the Aged came from all walks of life to share their traditions, stories, and the delicious food,” he added.
Regina Mngwandi said they are grateful to have been taken care of by Juluka 11 citing that it means a lot to them.
“I do not even know how to clearly express how happy I am. We are filled with gratefulness to know that there are people who think of us, people who do great things for us. This makes us feel important and valued.
“We feel loved. Heritage Day reminds us of who we are, where we come from and the uniqueness of each culture. It also shows us the different ways of doing things, what we believe in and how beautifully each culture dresses,” she concluded.
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