Pupils immerse in history and heritage
JOBURG – The National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS) and the Liliesleaf Trust hosted an educational session on 17 March for school pupils at Liliesleaf Farm in Rivonia.
Liliesleaf Farm was the location where many ANC members met during the liberation struggle and is a symbol of the fight for freedom in South Africa.
The visit to the farm came at the perfect time as pupils received a firsthand account of the legacy of the South African liberation struggle and the country’s heritage and history.
“We launched the Humanities Hubs Pilot Project last year, which culminated in today’s education session, being among one of many held over the past two weeks. We sought to develop an outreach programme that aims to rejuvenate an interest and appreciation of our history and an understanding of its importance,” said chief executive officer of NIHSS, Dr Sarah Mosoetsa.
The pilot project consists of different components including a colloquium, or academic meeting, which aims to assess and analyse South Africa’s 21 years of democracy, the meaning thereof and relevance; the Democracy Quest Educational Outreach Programme; and a mobile exhibition for university campuses earmarked to travel around the country for the commemoration of Youth Day on 16 June.
The Democracy Quest Educational Outreach Programme was motivated by a realisation that South African children need useful tools to understand the world. The initiative was inspired by Edward Burke and George Santayana who said that those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it and those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
The programme piloted in 10 schools in Gauteng and is suitable for pupils from grades 4 to 9 as it gives them an opportunity to participate in the different narratives of the South African struggle.
