Cape Town - As the Castle of Good Hope celebrates its Legacy Project with the Department of Education and SANDF, they highlight the need for youth to engage with SA's history.
On 22 September, before the start of the Heritage long weekend, the Castle joined forces with the Department of Defence to deliver an important Legacy Project aimed at inspiring the youth to learn about the true history of South Africa.
Already rolled out in 72 schools, the project has seen a timeline developed and installed on a wall in schools, showing the different events that took place at the Castle of Good Hope over 350 years. The timeline will be installed in 300 more schools across the country.
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At the event, spokesperson for the Department of Education Elijah Mhlanga also mentioned that the department is currently considering making History a compulsory subject up until matric throughout SA, as well as discuss ways to reinterpret the subject's curriculum.
It's important for SA's story to be shaped by South Africans and not outsiders, as well as include the youth in that conversation. As said at the event, they are the future teachers, politicians and presidents of our country, and they need to take part in the stories of our heritage.
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The Zeits Museum of Contemporary Art Africa had a similar notion, where the best of art by Africans are on display in a state-of-the-art gallery, but have included youth by giving free access to children under the age of 18.
In Port Elizabeth, they recently renovated a settler monument - the Campanile - and reshaped the story it tells to include the voices of those that came before the colonialists, and incorporate it into the the story of SA's struggle for freedom. Not only did it also mark the start of Route 67 - a street art route following the journey to democracy - but it also had an exhibition of children's interpretation of the Campanile.
Together we have the power to shape our own stories, that of our beautiful country.
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