HERITAGE CELEBRATION
STEVEN FRIEDMAN: ‘Braai Day’ remains a burning question
There is nothing wrong if some would rather braai than celebrate heritage. There is a great deal wrong if they do this to deny others their heritage. Last week saw the annual debate about people and companies that insist Heritage Day is really Braai Day, which some see as a slap in the face of most South Africans. Why debate how some people see a holiday? Like most SA debates, this one is really about something else. While some who are angered by Braai Day insist we should all spend the day connecting with heritage, they know that a tiny fraction spends Heritage Day attending cultural events. Their problem is, rather, what Braai Day seems to say. For some, it says that the only culture that matters is consumerism. While this seems to say that having fun is more important than culture, critics point out that it is itself a culture that tries to impose on everyone. Values such as respect for tradition or caring for others are dismissed as superstitions, and the person who believes the...
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