Pupils learn more about national symbols
KaMagugu Inclusive School’s morning assembly on Monday, May 9, was different than usual as the pupils were joined by the deputy minister of arts and culture, Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi.
Mabudafhasi joined the pupils in hoisting the national flag and singing of the South African National Anthem and the African Union Anthem as part of the activities of marking this year’s National Archives Awareness Week under the theme: “Archives for the protection of human rights, transparency and good governance.” The visit to the school was aimed at instilling and entrenching African identity in the pupils by hoisting of the national flag, promotion of the correct etiquette of singing the National Anthem and African Union Anthem as well as the promotion of constitutional values through recitation of the Preamble of the Constitution in different languages.
“The theme for the Week finds resonance in the Constitution as it guarantees among others access to information and human rights on the Bill of Rights,” said the deputy minister.At the end of the assembly, she distributed CD Toolkit on how to sing the National and African Union anthems, posters, handheld flags and the National Identity booklet – Passport of Patriotism to the pupils.
Later, she was joined by Culture, Sport and Recreation MEC, Ms Norah Mahlangu at the Provincial Archives Building where they addressed pupils from Nelsville, Bergvlam, Lowveld High and KaMagugu. She told the pupils, “The aim of the Archives Awareness Week is to popularise the profession and to engage communities around the importance of archives in the preservation of societal memory. The week also seeks to promote the importance of good record keeping practices as well as to allow public access to archival buildings for them to witness archival functions and services.”
“In the South African case, archives have been deliberately kept in obscurity as the result of the machinations of the previous dispensation. The collection policies were lopsided and did not reflect the proper demographic makeup of the country. We have 10 Archival repositories in this country, they should not be seen as elitist institutions, they are for all of us,” she concluded.