UNITY IN DIVERSITY PROF L D MOSOMA
INTRODUCTION TERMS OF UNITY IN DIVERSITY § UNITY ( Veritas ) implies a state of oneness. § DIVERSITY ( Varietas ) implies variedness. § The state of diversity characterises the South African society where the country is richly endowed with the tapestry of cultural, religious, linguistic and racial communities. § This rich endowment if not properly managed may constitute either a strength or a threat. § Diversity is considered a national strength if a suitable atmosphere is provided for the cultivation of religious, cultural, linguistic and racial co-existence based on the values of peace, harmony, friendship and tolerance in our country. § Diversity may constitute a threat when racism and inequality reigns supreme and opportunities are defined by race, gender, class or religion
SOCIAL COHESION & NATION BUILDING The process of social cohesion and nation building are necessary and critically § important means for use in order to achieve the South African Nation. Social Cohesion + Nation Building = Nationhood § STATE BUILDING & NATION BUILDING State Building is concerned with the creation of tangible solutions such as § armies, bureaucracies etc Nation Building is the creation of a sense of National Identity. § Nation Building requires the creation of intangible things like national § tradition, symbols, shared historic memories and cultural points of reference. The problem in South Africa is that we do not have these. The Solution: In the search for a solution we will have to examine 4 areas § where the process of realising nationhood could possibly be based: Culture, Religion, Language and the Economy.
CULTURE, RELIGION, LANGUAGE, ECONOMY Culture, religion and language express and embody the totality of human experience. They § define who we really are. Serious attention must be paid to the following issues: § § Ideological foundation and cultural construction § Protection and Promotion of people’s cultural rights § Forging a new morality and new social tendencies § Development of literature and arts, especially the culture of writing and reading § Education: science and technology, especially the revival of Indigenous Knowledge Systems and the encouragement to be the originators of new knowledge rather than its consumers § Protection of cultural heritage and retrieval of diminished and diminishing heritages § Hosting a national mosaic of cultural festivals which would be a huge national showcase of the rich cultural tapestry, attracting all groups to display their cultural endowments. § The creation of a cultural management system and the formation of cultural industries
CULTURE, RELIGION, LANGUAGE, ECONOMY CONTINUED CULTURAL ECONOMIC PRINCIPLES Keiretzu is a Japanese cultural concept, meaning buying from one another rather § than from a foreign company that might offer a better price or quality. amalima/letsema is a concept where African communities promote cooperation § and solidarity in support around community needs or a project. Mafisa is an economic principle applied as a form of economic empowerment to § invest the enhancement of the quality of life of the indigent families in the community. RELIGION AND UBUNTU the religious communities in South Africa should, if they are not doing it already § draw inspiration from the moral principle of Ubuntu (I am, because we are) in order to communicate symbols and messages that bind people together and awaken in all people a sense that they belong together, that they are one another’s keeper, that they bear a joint responsibility for their future.
CULTURE, RELIGION, LANGUAGE, ECONOMY CONTINUED LANGUAGE Language is the transmission of culture and religion is a vehicle for § promoting unity in diversity through effective dialogue among the people and also as a mark of personal identity. The development of indigenous languages will go a long way providing § access to justice and encourage the indigenisation of law in our country. _______________________________________________________________ The country needs a guide for economic and moral recovery. § _______________________________________________________________ CONCLUSION The role of culture, religion, language and economy are inextricably bound § as they have the potential if properly mediated to contribute significantly in the birth of a new nation on the foundation of its unity in diversity
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