Africa Day teaches pupils to embrace their cultures

African leader Haile Selassie hosted the first Organisation of African Union (OAU) in  Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 1963. African leaders on this day (May 25, 1963) promised that they would support freedom fighters’ organisations in an effort to liberate most of the African states which were still colonised then. Selassie declared, “May this convention last 1000 years.”

It was in the same spirit that the pupils of George Khosa, the Human Rights Commission and the Aggrey Klaaste Trust (AKT) hosted the Africa Day celebration last Friday at the school in Dobsonville.
Human Rights commissioner, Angie Makuetla said one of the human rights enshrined in our constitution is the right to culture and language.

“On this day we commemorate the founding of the organisation of the Organisation of African Union, now known as the African Union (AU), an organisation of African states we are part of.  The AU;s objective is to promote unity and solidarity among African states, to coordinate and intensify cooperation for development, to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states,” said Makuetla.

She said children need to understand that they have a role to play in ensuring the rebirth and renewal of the African continent, the advancement of Africans and promoting African unity.
Makuetla said unity also means that South Africans must continue living together with their foreign brothers and sisters coming from different part of Africa.

“We must respect different cultures, races, genders and languages.
“It is through appreciation of such differences that we can learn to love each other, thus becoming a united, democratic, non-sexist, non-racial continent,” said Makuetla.

AKT trustee, Palisa Mazamisa said hosting an event together with George Khosa High School was a first, adding that they would continue hosting future events aimed at promoting the Nation Building campaign founded by the late veteran journalist,  Aggrey Klaaste.

She said the Nation Building campaign should extend beyond the borders of Africa.
“This campaign should extend from Senegal to Somalia, from Morocco to Madagascar and from Cape to Cairo. We have adopted George Khosa High School and a lot of collaboration between the two parties will take place in future.
“We will be working with the school pupils and show them what it means to be part of the Nation Building campaign,” said Mazamisa.

Jerome Klaaste, the son of  Aggrey Klaaste, said,
“The objective of the initiative is to expose township schools and leaders to the Nation Building campaign founded by my father.
“This initiative is aimed at rebuilding the infrastructure which was destroyed during apartheid such as schools and family units in the townships.
“Nations Building is part of making sure my father’s legacy lives on,” said Klaaste.