Viva, South Africa, viva!

Nelson Mandela concisely explained it when he said the following in a Heritage Day speech: “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”.

In light of September being Heritage Month, let’s not whinge about politics or the economic situation, but celebrate our country with a few tidbits of which you may not have been aware:

From Chinese to French – everyone in the world is South African: All the world’s people are “twice South African” because it was here where man’s descendants and modern man both evolved.

The first evidence of life on Earth — yes — from SA: In eastern South Africa, scientists have found traces of blue-green algae dating back 3 500 million years. This is some of the earliest evidence of life on Earth.

Meteors hit Pretoria 220 000 years ago: A meteorite struck South Africa 220 000 years ago, forming the Tswaing Crater northwest of Pretoria. This is one of the most accessible and best preserved meteorite impact craters in the world.

SA has the world’s oldest remains: The oldest remains of modern humans were found in Klasies River Cave in the Eastern Cape. They are well over 100 000 years old.

South Africa has over 2 000 shipwrecks: There are more than 2 000 shipwrecks, dating back at least 500 years, off the South African coast; and more than one, including the Waratah, simply vanished without a trace.

The saying “women and children first” comes from SA: The practice of women and children first originated off the coast of Hermanus when the British ship, the Birkenhead, sank in 1852. Of the approximately 600 people on board, all 200 women and children survived. Almost 400 men went down with the ship.

SA thinks ahead of the world: South Africa is one of the first countries in the world to formally protect places associated with “Living Heritage” that is based on stories passed down from generation to generation by, for instance, grandmothers telling children stories about the places in which they live. One of the first such projects took place in Dukuza in KwaZulu-Natal, site of King Shaka’s royal residence, where interviews with old people in the community revealed an amazing store of information passed down over nearly 180 years concerning things like from which spring the royal water was drawn, where the King swam, under which trees particular events and councils occurred.

Three million: South Africa’s history and pre-history dates back more than three million years.

Not bad, hey? Have a great Heritage Day!