‘Every family must take a decision to record our culture’ – Cultural expert

South Africa has rich cultural and ethnic diversity, which has evolved and developed over the past three decades.

This has come with a shift in the way people express their identities, from languages to family structures and social values.

However, balancing cultural evolution with preservation is not always an easy task and some battle with whether culture should evolve to fit them or be kept as is.

Cultural expert Tswako Mokoko is of the opinion that culture cannot stay static and there are things that we will have to let go of, as they are no longer consistent with progressive values.

However, he says there are also aspects that must be protected.

Mbuso Khoza, who is a cultural practitioner, says people practicing cultures must be able to see which elements are no longer serving them, or what needs to adapt to suit their lives and families.

Part of preserving culture as it evolves involves making a point of recordingcultural practices for future generations to show what is important.

“It is upon us from now. Each and every family must take a decision to in one way or another record every aspect, and review it all the time. Let every aspect of our culture be recorded in its entirety,” says Mokoko, who argues this will protect aspects of our cultures that fade away.

To listen to Cultural Practitioner Mbuso Khoza and Cultural expert, languages and literature specialist and translator Tswako Mokoko in conversation with Clement Manyathela on 702, click the audio player below: