This is a day where, we as South Africans from all walks of life are encouraged to embrace and celebrate our different cultures, traditions and rich heritage.
Why does this day still have any significance, some may ask in the world we are living in today.
Well, I believe that there is still a lot of things that make this day worth celebrating in current times.
As a country which is rich in diversity of cultures, traditions, languages, attires, food, customs and rituals it is important to still celebrate all these so we know our past.
I say this because over the years while trying to catch up with western people, it seems as though us as Africans have forgotten who we truly are, our ways and teaching.
At times we have even tried so hard to fit in to what other people are doing that we have lost our own ways.
We have made the English language the most important of all, that even teaching our children their mother tongue has turned into something wrong.
Our traditional dishes have been forgotten in our homes, our traditional attires have been hidden from the world while even our practices have taken a back seat.
But in light of all of this, we have forgotten that we are Africans before anything else.
Though it is all good and well to be able to compete with other cultures, what we are failing to see as the young people of today, is that if we lose our traditions, what will we teach upcoming generations?
Lets face facts, the older generations in our families and communities are dying out while we are losing interest in our cultures.
And seemingly by the time we actually start realising this, our parents and grandparents will be gone.
At that point, who will then teach those who are younger of our past if we ourselves do not make the time to know it?
Even if you are not going to live by these rituals in your daily lives, at least try to learn about who you are.
As young people, for a second lets just forget about what you have learnt about the western ways of living and our so-called rights and get to know our cultures and what our families have been built on.
Let’s go back to basics and find out who we are while we still have the chance.
