“All communities from the Free State province, including Ficksburg, have the responsibility to protect and preserve historical sites like the Old Prison Cells and the General Fick Museum. We must educate young people about the significance of such sites because they are an important part of who we are and where we come from,” said Mashatile.
He further urged for the protection of tangible and intangible heritage such as oral history, belief systems, cultural practices, rituals, popular memory, skills, methods and indigenous knowledge systems. This would enable the country to keep its integrity, values and respect for everyone, he said.
Language was one of the important intangible heritages that should be preserved, and citizens should take pride in speaking their native languages, Mashatile said.
“We should also learn each other’s language. Learning each other’s dialects will make it easier to understand and celebrate each other’s culture with mutual respect. We urge intellectuals, knowledge holders, language practitioners and organisations like the Pan South African Language Board to share their wisdom, and continue to implement programmes that will help to prevent linguistic knowledge extinction especially in our younger generation.”