The national Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) and the Provincial Department of Culture, Arts and Traditional Affairs (Cata) have invited about 250 participants to an engagement on the status and future of statues in the Province.

The Provincial event is scheduled for Friday, June 12 at the Herman Charles Bosman Living Museum in Groot Marico at the Ramotshere Moiloa Municipality (Zeerust).

The subject and theme of the day is “Heritage Landscape Transformation”.

Among those invited to the consultative workshop are political parties represented in the North West Provincial Legislature, faith-based groups, traditional leaders, the South African Local Government Association (Salga), the Provincial Geographic Names Council (PGNC) and practitioners in the heritage sphere – both national and from Bokone Bophirima.

The programme is scheduled to commence at 08:00 and last till lunch.

The MEC for Cata, Mme Tebogo Modise and senior national and provincial government officials from the DAC and Cata will be among those leading the proceedings.

The event follows engagements by DAC’s political head, Minister Nathi Mthethwa, in a national dialogue in April at the Freedom Park to discuss transformation of heritage landscape and how public space could be used for art and heritage.

After presentations by various stakeholders, the meeting resolved to take the resolutions of the engagement to various Provinces and allow them to voice their own opinions on how heritage should be shaped and transformed.

The national dialogue was called partly as a response to recent incidents and debates around colonial statues and busts across the country.

Commenting on the Friday event, Mme Modise said: “This provincial consultative workshop will intensify public awareness on the role of heritage in a developing society and can be used as a vehicle to reach out to the communities and consequently contribute towards the attainment of social cohesion and nation building.

“Some of the key objectives of the workshop are the re-affirmation of the significance of Heritage Landscapes as part of our Cultural Heritage in South Africa; the strengthening of unity and social cohesion among various sectors in society and the promotion of the spirit of preserving our Heritage resources.”

Details are as follows:

Date: 12 June 2015

Time: 08:00 for 08:30

Venue: Herman Charles Bosman Living Museum in Groot Marico
-TDN
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