Programme director
The MEC for Sports, Arts and Culture in the Western Cape, Sakkie Jenner
Members of Parliament and provincial legislatures here present
The Chairperson of the Oral History Association of South Africa (OHASA), Professor Mokgoatšana
Members of the Executive Committee of OHASA
The Deputy National Archivist and President of the Africa Regional Committee of United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) Memory of the World programme, Ms Mandy Gilder
Delegates to this conference
Ladies and gentlemen
It gives me great pleasure to address such a distinguished audience, gathered here this evening for the sixth annual national Oral History Conference, welcome dinner. I take this opportunity, on behalf of the Department of Arts and Culture, to welcome all of you and to wish you a very successful conference.
Under the theme; ‘The Politics of Collecting and Curating Voices’, this morning, you began deliberations that we believe will strengthen efforts to develop an all-inclusive history of our country. Today and throughout this conference, you have been seized with the important task of reflecting on mechanisms to ensure that the oral testimonies, especially of the indigenous people, the ordinary men and women of our country, are recorded and passed on to future generations.
The deliberations and exchange of ideas at this conference form an integral part of the national effort to build social cohesion, to promote nation building, and most importantly to build an inclusive society. This conference recognises the important role that oral history can play as an invaluable tool which we can use to preserve our heritage and our collective memory. Together, through this conference, we are ensuring that as the history of this country is re-written, the perspectives and experiences of all South Africans, regardless of their race, class, gender and social background are reflected fully.
This we are doing, conscious of the reality that ours is a society founded on the noble values of inclusiveness, equality and dignity for all. Indeed we are doing all of this as part of efforts to build a truly united, democratic, non sexist, non racists and prosperous South Africa, for which the founding fathers of our constitution fought so bravely.
In this regard, I take this opportunity to congratulate all those who have made this conference possible. We look forward to the outcomes of this conference, to guide our work as we continue to undo the damage and distortion done to our indigenous knowledge systems, our traditional systems of governance, our beliefs and our cultural heritage.
As the Department of Arts and Culture we remain committed to the strategic objective of preserving our oral history, as part of building an inclusive society. We applaud the role played by the National Heritage Council, the Oral History Association of South Africa, the National Film and Video Foundations and all other institutions working to promote the preservation of our oral history. To all of you we say you have our support!
As a department, we have identified the preservation of oral history as one of our flagship programmes, to which we will continue to commit much resources, time and energy. Through the Invest In Culture programme, we are already supporting a number of oral history projects to ensure their sustainability and that they form part of ongoing efforts to build sustainable livelihoods. Going forward, working with all stakeholders including the private sector, we will strengthen our interventions in this regard, ensuring that more projects receive support.
Once more; I wish you a successful conference. Enjoy the rest of the evening.
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Arts and Culture
13 October 2009
Source: Department of Arts and Culture (http://www.dac.gov.za/)
