Diverse cultural communities establish historic intercultural collaborative network

Leaders from diverse South African cultural communities yesterday formally established the Cultural Communities Network (CCN), an intercultural collaborative initiative dedicated to ensuring a peaceful and prosperous future for the children of all cultural communities in the country.

The CCN serves as a forum for cultural communities to engage meaningfully, in good faith and to collaborate on issues of mutual interest and concern. The CCN was established through the adoption of the Rules of Order of the meeting of the CCN by 38 delegates from 26 different cultural communities from across all provinces that attended the formalisation meeting in Pretoria. Discussions at this first in-person meeting of the CCN centred on two main themes: the full realisation of cultural rights and socio-economic development.

The establishment of the CCN follows recent engagements among cultural leaders to collaborate on the compilation of an input document to be submitted to the National Dialogue. This document would reflect their perspectives on the core challenges facing cultural communities and propose possible solutions to address these challenges.

Engagement on the full realisation of cultural rights resulted in the identification of the following focus areas:

• Development and promotion of languages that are not yet recognised or fully developed.
• Promotion of mother language education for all cultural communities.
• Promotion of meaningful recognition of all cultural communities, specifically the various Khoi-San, Afrikaner and other unrecognised cultural communities.
• Strengthening and promotion of cultural rights.
• Promotion of land ownership by cultural communities.
• Preservation and development of heritage and heritage sites.

Engagement on socio-economic development resulted in the identification of the following focus areas:

• Identification and establishment of suitable legal entities for cultural communities to manage and own their land in title.
• Finding ways for cultural communities to benefit justly from mining and other commercial activities on their land.
• Collaboration and establishing partnerships for planning, project execution, and financing.
• Promotion of education, training and skills transfer.
• Strengthening self-reliance and self-sufficiency through unlocking the potential of land through agricultural and other commercial development by means of partnerships.
• Learning from each other’s successes.

Delegates from the following cultural communities participated in the engagement: Afrikaner Nama, Afrikaners from AfriForum and the Solidarity Movement, AmaBhele AseLenge, Amaquas Nama, AmaQwathi, BakaMawewe, Bakgatla Ba Kgafela, Bakgatla Ba Moshetla, Batlharo Boo Tokwana Ba Ga Masibi, Barolong Boo Seleka, Danster Korana, Lebelo, Links Korana, Mahumani, Majeje, Makholokoe, Malangeni, Mandlakazi, Marishane, Ovaherero, Phaahla, Taaibosch Korana, Waterboer Griqua, Xam Kei Korana and Yzerbeck Korana. Additional cultural communities were represented by observers.

The CCN invites cultural organisations, community organisations, royal or traditional leadership structures, community representative organisations, and other recognised institutions representing cultural community interests to join this historic effort to ensure prosperous and peaceful co-existence of cultural communities at grassroots level.