Canada Braai…and a Few Other Videos & Pics from Heritage Day

South Africans (and even some non-South Africans) around the world celebrated National Heritage or Braai Day today. Here is a collection of some of our favourite photos and videos:

1. Happy Heritage Day!

Debra Duvel – “Happy Heritage Day! From Hillcrest, Durban, Natal. My Favourite Photo of Cape Town. Photographed by my son.”

2. Canada Braai Day Video (unintentionally quite funny!)

Okay, who knew that Canada had an official Braai Day? 20 September. And that this is actually their second year of celebrating it?

It’s a wonderful concept and we’re so glad that our lekker braai is lighting up the world! But eish, guys, it would have been good to appoint a South African as the Canadian Braai ambassador. You would think there were enough expats to choose from!

Instead, the very lovely Angela Aiello has been appointed…and while she is lovely and friendly and very enthusiastic…she doesn’t seem to know too much about braai-ing or South Africa.

When asked whether the braai is South African or African, she replies that it’s “Afrikaan”. Not sure what she means? Could that be a mixture of African and Afrikaans?

She calls boerewors something like “boerra-woorsch” (take a listen at about 1:20) and describes biltong as being a bit like bacon!

It becomes obvious that Canada’s Braai Day was probably only conceived to promote a couple of delicious South African wines when the lovely Angela emphasises that there’s no braai without wine (and totally forgets to mention the beers!).

Anyway, we’re still totally delighted that Canada is joining in and the great braai we’ve known and loved for generations is finally spreading around the world. And we love it when the Canada Braai website says “As a country that values unity, diversity and the importance of family, friends and neighbours, Canada is truly honoured to have shared in the braai tradition for the second year in a row.”

So thank you Canada for trying and braai-ing! We are honoured.

Thank you Marlene Ehmke!

3. Here’s the Beer Canada Forgot

Mitch Meyer – “Raise our drinks to our heritage day! Here’s to all things good about South Africa. Sun, beach, family, friends and many more things!”

4. And the more things are…

Charlene Rhode‎ asked on SAPeople’s page: “Can anyone please define what our South African Heritage is?” Here are some of the answers she received:

Lindsey Warwick-Godfrey:
“Amazing landscapes, wonderful wildlife, gorgeous flora, rainbow of people, talented people, unique music. Thunderous skies. Chequered history. Mostly sunny weather. Hardships that will be overcome by positive attitudes. If we all do just a little every day to promote and be grateful for SA it may become an even better place.”

Pamela Couzyn:
“A melting pot of cultures, a divided past, a (hopefully) blended future, a sunny smile from passport control as you enter the country after a year away, someone speaking Afrikaans in the country you have moved to, the ability to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and keep trying, the greatest peace icon of all time (Madiba, let’s honour you every day in every way ), breath-taking views, generous hearts and spirits, big sky country, potjie competitions, a green and gold jersey, the brightest flag in the stadium, crispy, golden samoosas, the Cape Doctor, the Highveld storms, the humidity of a Durban summer, The Bats, petrol pump attendants, biltong, always biltong, the wines, oh, the wines, great literature, greater artworks, the ability to criticise our president if we are so inclined, the readiness of South Africans abroad to have you ‘kom kuier’, shoshaloza sung loudly, shongalulu’s when it rains, the daisies of Namaqualand, The Owl House, my family and my friends. Ons vir jou Suid Afrika! For ever and ever. Amen!”

Maretha Senekal

“We have got some of the most incredible Pre-historic Archaeological world heritage sites – Cradle of humankind, Vredefort dome, Kathu archaeological site Northern Cape, oldest implements found there. Mapungubwe N Limpopo, all the Khoisan paintings spread all over SA, to name a few.”

5. My Language is My Heritage

We received a photo of this beautiful painting from one of our popular contributors Hester SophiaEsta Marais. She wrote “gegroet is julle almal. My taal is my erfenis en ek deel graag my ouma se ketel wat ek vandag probeer verf het met almal.” Roughly translated that means: “greetings to all of you. My language is my heritage, and I would like to share this painting I tried to do today of my grandmother’s kettle.”

6. It’s a Braai, not a Barbie!

Samantha Barry‎ sent this pic with the following message: “For my Ozzie family and friends…. hope you all had an awesome National BRAAI day!”

7. Perfect in Perth…

Lindzay-Juan Kotze – “Happy SA National Braai Day from Perth! xxx”

8. Don’t forget the Wors!

Paul Squibb – “It’s not A Braai unless you have Boerewors, from the UK.”

9. Protea is King!

Chareen Boake‎ – “26cm in diameter, Proudly South African and proudly grown in my aunt’s Sydney garden – a King Protea. Happy Heritage Day all the way from Oz!!”

10. National Braai Day Anthem

For those who haven’t seen it, this video from 2011 presents the National Braai Day anthem performed by Die Heuwels Fantasties, JR, HHP and the Soweto Gospel Choir.

11. Missing You

Antoinette Desrosier‎ – “Happy Heritage Day! Missing SA every single day. Peace! (This photo was taken in ’97, and I think it was Lion’s Park…but I’m the kid in the picture…so don’t remember that well.”

12. Ipi Ntombi in New Zealand

Preba Moodley‎ – “Celebrating South African Heritage Day in New Zealand with an Ipi Ntombi dance at our school Culture Festival. Feeling very nostalgic and a little homesick. Proud to be South African.”

13. Braai BRU!

From Nicole Odette Whindus Botha‎

14. From South Korea

Chantal-Clumsy Terblanche‎ – “Happy heritage day from South Korea”

15. Fire it Up

From Matt Milne in Sydney.

16. And Finally…a Few Words from our Deputy President

In Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa’s speech in Klerksdorp today, some of his comments were:

“We are building a nation that is proud of its national symbols, our flag and our anthem. They reflect our shared values and the principle of unity in diversity.Though we have achieved much in the last 20 years, there is a great deal more that we need to do.”

“Understanding the depth of poverty, inequality and unemployment, we have developed the National Development Plan to guide our efforts over the next 20 years.”

“In isiZulu, we say: “Indlela ibuzwa kwabaphambili.” Before we undertake any journey we must remember where we come from and learn from those who have gone before us. We dare not neglect our past. We dare not ignore our heritage. We have a responsibility to respect and acknowledge our past, to celebrate the present and together to build the future.”

“We are celebrating a rich, proud and diverse heritage. Although we may speak different languages, practice different beliefs, engage in different cultural practices and tell different stories, we are bound together by a common African heritage.”

“As the scholar Molefi Kete Asante asserts: “[The] concept of an African cultural system is both diverse and dynamic, but derived from a common historical and cultural heritage.” This notion is reflected in the words inscribed on our country’s coat of arms, “!ke e: /xarra //ke”, which calls on diverse people to unite.”

“Heritage Day encourages South Africans to celebrate not only their own cultural traditions, but also the diversity of cultures, beliefs and traditions that make up the South African nation. It is a day for South Africans to tell the stories about who they are and where they come from.”

“Heritage preserves the knowledge of how human beings adapt themselves to changing environments. Heritage is not static. It evolves with time and changes as societies change. As we transform our society, so too do we transform our heritage. We do not replace what has come before. Rather, we enrich and enhance what we have inherited.”

“Too many of our people cannot live where they want, cannot pursue the professions they desire, and cannot achieve the standard of living they seek. We are still prone to stereotyping each other. We are reluctant to trust those who do not look like us or who don’t speak like us – or who do not belong to the same economic stratum. The challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment unmask the reality that there is much that still divides us.”

“Unity can only come from the exploration of what is common and what is different in our histories and experiences. It can only come about by working together to overcome the material barriers that divide us. A common heritage requires a shared prosperity.”