Our diversity makes our heritage powerful. We need to embrace and preserve it; we must embrace all diverse heritages so that we have them for future and can reflect on them.

This was the interpretation of Professor Karen Harris, Head of the Department of Historical and Heritage Studies at the University of Pretoria (UP) and Director of the UP Archives, speaking at a recent online discussion. The title of the virtual chat was LeadUP: Harnessing Heritage and the discussion centred on the theme, ‘How can we leverage the power of our diversity?’.

“Heritage must be inclusive, but it is also an individual package; each individual has a different meaning of what heritage is to them,” she said. “Heritage is loaded, and is something that has been passed down from generation to generation. It makes you who you are; it’s where are you from.”

In his opening remarks, UP’s Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Tawana Kupe, said that heritage, culture and history are important to identity, and that people cannot achieve sustainable development without these elements. “We are in a period of rethinking and reimagining UP, and the contributions it will make to creating a new society that is prosperous and equitable, and in which all cultures and diversities are well presented.”

This virtual event also featured sculptor, poet and writer Professor Pitika Ntuli; Dr Sian Tiley-Nel, Head of UP Museums; reverend and UP lecturer Charlotte Sibanyoni; and Dean of Humanities Professor Vasu Reddy, who facilitated the discussion.

According to Prof Ntuli, heritage is, among other things, a guide to help us avoid repeating mistakes. “In the context of South Africa, we are a diverse people joined by one issue, which is geography,” he said. “Our politics separated us, but our independence is pushing us back together to be one nation across races and other belief systems.” 

Echoing his words, Dr Tiley-Nel said the university museum is there to promote and shape heritage. “I see heritage as a vast type of tapestry linkages and synergies; it is creativity inherited from the past that can be handed to future generations,” she remarked. “I think people mistake heritage as something that is cultural within the university. But we do not just curate cultural heritage; there is also technological, archaeological and history heritage. There are many different forms of heritage beyond culture.”

She added that the concept and understanding of heritage has changed dramatically over the past 20 years: “The meaning of heritage changes all the time.”

In terms of whether a sense of culture and heritage exist among youth today, Reverend Sibanyoni remarked: “A lot of young people allow one another to be diverse. Young people have a lot to share in terms of culture. I encourage them to voice their sense of heritage. As for cross-cultural marriages, she feels they are “beautiful”. “They give people a chance to celebrate both cultures. It is about sharing and celebrating each other’s culture and sharing the space. I think mixed marriages will acknowledge and respect both cultures. We have so much to learn about ourselves as people.”