Muni hosts Heritage and Tourism Month

Thembi Nkadimeng, Polokwane Executive Mayor launched the city’s R1,2 million Heritage and Tourism Month Extravaganza during a function at the Polokwane Art Galery in Library Gardens on Friday.
During a media briefing she said that the city is proud to be associated with projects that contributes towards preservation of a cultural heritage and promotion of a creative future.
“Every year during the month of September the country focusses on Tourism and Heritage to celebrate and harness aspects of our South African culture which are both tangible and intangible in a form of creative expression such as music and performances, our historical inheritance, language, the food we eat as well as the popular memory. The tourism aspect aims to encourage the locals to travel domestically to get a better understanding of the affordable, exciting and world class attractions that are available on their own doorstep,” Nkadimeng said.
According to Nkadimeng, the city has prepared a potpourri of events and activities that are geared towards heightening awareness and participation in outdoor activities that encourage tourism and celebrate the city’s diverse heritage and the arts.

The first week of the extravaganza is in the form of the fifth Annual Literary Fair and this year’s chapter started on Tuesday with a reception of participants, artists and stakeholders at Library Gardens and is scheduled to run until Saturday in the city and surrounds. “This multi-discipline festival of both the written and spoken word celebrates the triumph of the human spirit and its cultural endeavours and commemorates the youth of this country,” Nkadimeng explained.
The week’s programme includes book launches, visits of artists to schools, a writing master’s class, a youth parliament and even a visit to Polokwane Correctional Services on Friday. Artists and presenters include David wa Maahlamela, Fred Khumalo, Harry Kalmer, Judith Joubert, Shafinaaz Hassim and Yewande Omotoso.
The programme from next Monday onwards is scheduled to include guided museum tours, a tourism students’ dialogue, opening of an art exhibition, a heritage workshop, art competition, a tourism safety workshop and a tourism seminar that is scheduled for 29 September. The Polokwane Explorer Race that is scheduled for 17 September is another highlight on the programme.
Good news for nature lovers is that entry to the Polokwane Game Reserve for South African citizens will be free of charge from 07:00 to 16:30 from 19 to 23 September as part of the Mahala Week Campaign.
The final event of the month is the flea market on the Civic Square from 30 September to 1 October.

Story and photos: BARRY VILJOEN
>>barryv.observer@gmail.com

Featured photo: In attendance at the launch of the Heritage and Tourism Month Extravaganza are Josephine Maja, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Sport, Arts, Culture and Special Focus, Charles Molepo, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Finance and Economic Development, Thembi Nkadimeng, Polokwane Executive Mayor and Gerhard Franken, Chairperson of the Polokwane Tourism Association (PTA).