Ms Nomatyala Hangana, at the Human Rights and Indigenous Knowledge System
Conference, Sammy Marks Conventional Centre, Pretoria
23 March 2007
Programme director
Dr Serote of Indigenous Knowledge System of South Africa
Dr Guma of the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of
Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities
Mrs Joyce Piliso-Seroke of the Commission on Gender Equality
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen, I feel humbled to be here this morning.
Currently, multiculturalism is a much-debated theme for many reasons. Most
importantly because it raises questions of dominance and makes us think about
what kind of society we want. One example of such thinking is contained in the
vision of the society as a melting pot â as expressed in the American model of
multiculturalism.
Whatever vision we adhere to, however, whatever hopes and wishes we have for
the future, one thing is to envision and decide on societal models; quite
another thing is to implement the models in practice. In my experience societal
forms tend to have their own internal dynamics, which are not automatically
responses to conscious political decision making processes.
A very important theme in the debate about multiculturalism and one which
has frequently been neglected is what is often referred to as 'traditional' or
"indigenous forms of learning". One main reason why this is the case is that
such forms of learning are associated with the past. They became symbolic of
societal forms, which supposedly cannot survive the forces of modernity.
In my opinion this view is too simply, for one thing because these
indigenous forms of learning have inherent characteristics such as flexibility
and small-scale organisations of a networking kind, traits, which are highly
sought after in modern organisations. Another point, which demonstrates the
value of the indigenous forms of learning, is the fact that many important
impulses such as for example, in the field of art come from local fields of
knowledge.
I am glad to find out that there is an effort to establish a database, which
will encourage researchers and policy makers to incorporate indigenous
knowledge into their project proposals and implementation plans and factor such
indigenous practices into all activities affecting our localities. Such
incorporation, if speedily processed will help the poor, who are unemployed and
have no access to medical aid like you and I to have better health care.
Critical to Indigenous Knowledge System of South Africa (iIkssa) work in
general and the delegates of this conference in particular is to look into the
set of the following challenges. How do we ensure that our institutions of
higher learning embrace indigenous knowledge in their curriculum and thereby
ensuring its continued existence? The same would go for our libraries, to what
extent as the society are we encouraging writers to write more on the subject
and make books available for the spreading of this knowledge.
In my view, indigenous knowledge can go a long way in addressing some of the
critical challenges that the world and our society in particular are currently
facing. For instance, how do we use our indigenous knowledge parallel with the
western medicine in dealing with Aids pandemic?
For instance, not to have sex before marriage is not only a biblical
principle but also the African culture embraces this view. Think of how many
young men and women would be saved from contracting HIV if they still held onto
this view. Up until today I am still searching for the window through which
that prestigious African principle left our society.
In this country and indeed around the globe we are faced with yet another
scourge, which is violence against women and children. I would like to argue
that this problem is largely due to the fact that men have lost the essence and
teachings of our African culture.
Key to this culture is how a man supposed to treat a woman. Let me
demonstrate to you what I mean. 'Inkosikazi' is a Zulu word, which means a
wife. When you break this word into two, inkosi-meaning a king and 'kazi' a
suffix that refers to a female: you get your very first lesson to your manhood
on how to treat a woman.
All in all the word simply means a woman is a queen and we all know how
queens are supposed to be treated, but sadly nowadays men treat them as sex
slaves and if they refuse men think they somehow have an ordained right to turn
them into punching bags and even take their lives away.
I am posing this question to you, how do we make sure that we bring back
such valuable cultural ethos to rid our society off this sickness? This is why
our Traditional leadership is key to the eradication of violence against women
and children. I am also happy they committed themselves to this fight too.
I wish you well in your deliberations, but before I leave the stage, promise
me you will not let our indigenous knowledge go into extinction.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Provincial and Local Government
23 March 2007
Source: Department of Provincial and Local Government Source (http://www.dplg.gov.za)
