Lepelle Nkumpi Local Municipality Mayor Dr Merriam "Mologadi" Molala.
Lepelle Nkumpi Local Municipality Mayor Dr Merriam Molala has urged the public to embrace their values, norms and beliefs without trepidation.
She said this during the Heritage Day which was celebrated by various communities countrywide. “We can never claim freedom if we aren’t proud of our heritage. It is potent and imperative to understand our cultural heritage. It is also imperative to know who we are and teach our children about their history, values, norms and beliefs. A person without history will always be subjected to catastrophe for our culture is our treasure,” said Dr Molala.
Mayor Molala said however it is potent to focus on creative industry to ensure that the public embrace their culture diversity.
As part of her mission to revitalise Arts and Culture, Mayor Dr Molala confirmed that she is also passionate about reviving the arts, remembering Lebowakgomo Show Ground's former glory as a provincial arts and tourism hotspot.
Astoundingly, The Azanian can confirm that a new R370 million theatre is under construction next to Bakoni Malapa, between Lebowakgomo and Polokwane. Mayor Dr Molala recognizes the importance of positioning Lepelle-Nkumpi as the theatre's primary feeder, driving economic growth and cultural development.
To achieve this, under her leadership, Lepelle-Nkumpi Local Municipality is poised for remarkable transformation, blending technology, arts, and culture to create a vibrant community. Dr Molala also approached these institutions with the intention to request the Council to donate land as an incentive to attract them in establishing Arts and Design School in Lebowakgomo. And the Department of Education to make it happen.
She visited Pro Arte Alphen Park, a government arts school in Pretoria, to draw inspiration, attended Tshwane University of Technology arts concerts, sparking ongoing talks with the institution and donors.
“There’s too abundant talent in Limpopo in the form of arts and culture therefore there’s a need to invest in that by involving our communities," Mayor Dr Molala concluded.
Mandela said during his key address marking Heritage Day in 1996 that: "When our first democratically elected government decided to make Heritage Day one of our national days, we did so because we knew that our rich and varied cultural heritage has a profound power to help build our new nation.”
“We did so, knowing that the struggles against the injustice and inequities of the past are part of our national identity; they are part of our culture. We knew that, if indeed our nation had to rise like the proverbial phoenix from the ashes of division and conflict, we had to acknowledge those whose selfless efforts and talents were dedicated to this goal of non-racial democracy.”
Mayor Dr Molala said Mandela’s words of wisdom taught her to defuse negative energy against all forms of depression.
Meanwhile, Deputy President Paul Mashatile has paid tribute to various countries who assisted freedom fighters and activists when they were exiled during the apartheid regime.
Mashatile said this when addressing the public during the Heritage Day celebration event held at the Meqheleng Stadium, in Ficksburg, Free State.
“During Heritage Month, we remember those who fought for our freedom. Many of our freedom fighters died in Zimbabwe and Zambia and others were killed in this country. Some of them, their families have never been able to identify their graves. They just disappeared, so we need to celebrate all these heroes,” said Mashatile.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
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