Project to reconcile South Africa is still alive, says Ramaphosa

With many communities around the world beset by conflict, South Africa is fortunate that the project of reconciliation has not been abandoned.

This is according to President Cyril Ramaphosa, hailing this as the fruits of freedom and peace.

He said this in his weekly newsletter, where he outlined the need for the country's creative practitioners to play a more prominent role in nation-building through work that highlights the uplifting, inspiring and enduring aspects of society and its history. 

“Like many South Africans, I am an avid viewer of the television series, Shaka iLembe, which premiered locally in June. This spectacular and ambitious epic based on the history of King Shaka and the formation of the Zulu kingdom has become one of the most successful South African productions.”

Ramaphosa commended the hit series for supporting skills development, job creation and localisation during six years of production. 

“Shaka iLembe forms part of a growing movement within the local creative industries to craft stories and histories about South Africa’s people from their perspective and through their eyes,” he said.

The president made these reflections ahead of Heritage Day on Sunday, when the nation celebrates its great diversity of culture, language and history.

“We have come a long way from the state broadcasting of the apartheid era, when the rich and cultural heritage of South Africa and lived realities of the South African people were marginalised.”

Ramaphosa commended the country's storytellers, artists, filmmakers and other creative professionals telling the stories of South Africans.

“These stories are cultural endowments for the benefit of future generations and are integral to the ongoing task of forging national unity, inculcating national pride and promoting respect for diversity. 

“The success of Shaka iLembe and many other local productions should encourage creative professionals to apply their talents to more production of such work. There are so many stories to be told, both of the past and the present.”

However, the president said the story of the country's peaceful transition to democracy has not been fully told — with its complexity, different perspectives and competing narratives.

“This past weekend, speaking at the funeral service for Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the founder of the IFP, I told mourners that the commitment of leaders like Prince Buthelezi and President Nelson Mandela to put aside their differences and work for peace was a legacy we must all strive to uphold and emulate.”

Ramaphosa applauded SA's common commitment to peace within the country and its neighbouring countries. He also cautioned against tribalism and ethnic chauvinism. 

“Even when acts of racism occur, these provocations are rejected by South Africans, who won’t let them be used to worsen tensions in communities,” he said. 

“This eternal vigilance is born of bitter experience that has its roots in the political violence of the 1980s and early 1990s, and how South Africans worked together to overcome differences, pull our country back from the brink and achieve peace.”

As the country revelled in cultural pride and celebrated roots with art, dance, cuisine and music, Ramaphosa believes its people must remember that the struggle for peace and reconciliation is a vital part of our heritage. 

“We remember that the children born into democracy are able to take pride in their heritage today because of the peaceful democratic transition, which produced a constitution that guarantees rights and freedoms for all, including the right to express one’s language and culture.”

The country's artists and cultural workers are today able to exercise their right to freedom of expression in how they chronicle both the past and the present, and to do so without fear of censure, banning or imprisonment, he added. 

“Contributing to maintaining peace and to advancing reconciliation is our collective responsibility as South Africans. It is the greatest gift we can bestow on the generations to come.”

TimesLIVE