Speech by the Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi during the launch of the book titled, Women of Power: The Unsung Human Treasures
Programme director,
Honourable Premier of the Northern Cape, Mme Sylvia Lucas;
Honourable MECs present;
Your Worship the Executive Mayor of ZF Makgawu District Municipality, Cllr Abraham Vosloo;
Your Worship the Mayor of Khara Hais Local Municipality,
Our Special Guests of the evening, Women of Power: The Unsung Human Treasures;
Ouma’s Griet’s family;
Chairperson of the South African Heritage Resource Agency, Prof Susan Bouillon;
CEO of the South African Heritage Resource Agency, Ms Veliswa Baduza;
Representative of the House of Nnte;
It is a privilege for me to stand before you on this august occasion as we are launching the book, affirming the power of women. Opportunities like these are very rare. This is a significant gathering in the history of Upington, the Northern Cape Province and the Republic of South Africa.
As we are about to conclude the Women’s Month we saw it befitting as the Department of Arts and Culture that this year we should honour the unsung women treasures from all our provinces.
This is in cognisance of the struggle by women for the liberation of humanity epitomised by the march to the Union Buildings sixty (60) years ago.
The beauty of the women’s power for the emancipation of humanity is that it manifests from all spheres of life hence we have in our midst this evening, the unsung human treasures. These unsung human treasures are being recognised for their sterling performance in the preservation and promotion of indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) and South Africa’s living heritage.
Without seeking any publicity these women of power find joy and pleasure in what they do for the benefit of South Africa and the entire world.
Ladies and gentlemen, in our midst here we have women who are so passionate in preserving and promoting our indigenous languages. They are conscious about their identities and they refuse to portray themselves in the images of the colonial masters and oppressors.
In their actions, they demonstrate that they hold the same view with His Excellency President Barack Obama of the United States of America that, “English may be spoken universally, does not imply that it carries the sum total sum of the world’s wisdom”.
Faced with criticisms and rejection, these unsung human treasures continue to sing, write, tell stories and perform on stages in their indigenous languages. They understand the value and wealth of preserving our indigenous languages. They understand that knowledge and wisdom doesn’t come from a colonial language.
Again in our midst this evening we have unsung women human treasures who are doing exceptional work in the arts and craft sector. They produce among other things, clay pots, paintings and jewelry. Their products are of high quality and they are always in demand. We seldom pay attention to the contributions made by these women in the socio-economic development of this country.
Neither do we understand the depth of knowledge and skills these unsung women treasures possess.
As the Department of Arts and Culture, we acknowledge and appreciate the work women are doing under difficult conditions to safeguard our living heritage. Through this project, we wanted South Africans in particular to understand the significance of preserving indigenous knowledge and its transmission to future generations.
It is upon us to present these unsung women treasures to our communities so they can inspire and impart knowledge to our youth. Our youth should be made to understand that they can be successful in life by taking advantage and learn the skills form the unsung human treasures.
The publication we are launching this evening, simply attest that we have reservoirs of knowledge within our communities. We have to acknowledge their presence and give them the respect they deserve. We need to create platforms where we live for them to be able to interact with the youth.
In addition, we also have woman activist in our midst. These unsung human treasures stood firm in fighting for the dignity of women in all the spheres. They fought against the discrimination and abuse of women on the basis of their race or gender. Without their sacrifices, we would not be where we are today.
I thank you!
