By Mr. Tshidiso Motaung, SAAYC Board Chairperson
“Heritage” is typically envisioned through monuments, museums, and historical sites. However, heritage is much more vibrant than that. Heritage is alive, encompassing the languages we speak, the songs we sing, the ways we greet, and the values we hold within our communities.
In a country like South Africa, where history has been carried with both pain and resilience, our heritage is not solely what we inherit; it is also what we are continually redefining and handing down. At the South African Association of Youth Clubs (SAAYC), we believe that young people are not merely the heirs of heritage, but they are the custodians of heritage, which ensures our cultural richness remains alive, relevant, and aspirational for future generations.
Beyond Tradition: Heritage as a Living Practice
Can we truly say heritage is preserved if it is locked away, untouched? Living heritage is not only rituals and traditions, but also all of the everyday practices that demonstrate who we are as South Africans:
- The preservation of indigenous languages
- The shared communal values of ubuntu
- The continuation of the arts, music, and stories that share our bonds
Heritage provides us with a reflection of who we are. And when young people actively live and engage with it, they help to ensure that it does not die rather it is experienced differently.
How Youth Are Redefining Heritage Today
Our youth are carrying heritage into brand new spaces and evolving it further through creativity, innovation, and activism. From urban art developments that evoke township life, to tech-based projects documenting oral histories, to grassroots activism rooted in traditional values of justice and community, South African youth are demonstrating that heritage is never fixed but expands with each generation.
At SAAYC, we see this every day in our programmes around cultural exchange, youth leadership development, and drawing on arts and innovation to link communities. These platforms enable youth to celebrate their identity while reshaping how South Africa narrates its story now and into the future.
The Power of Intergenerational Learning
Heritage survives when there is a transfer of wisdom. Elders carry the memory of where we have come from, and youth carry the vision of where we are going. Intergenerational learning is not about indulging nostalgia; it is about ensuring youth have enough depth of knowledge so that they can effect change.
When elders mentor, and youth listen, adapt, and lead, we create continuity. This is how language survives. This is how value is grounded. This is how communities stay connected.
Youth as Custodians of the Future
When you call youth “custodians” of heritage, you give them power and responsibility; you acknowledge their active role as the shapers of their heritage rather than as passive inheritors. Custodianship is shown by youth when they:
- Maintain traditions, but creatively reimagine them for the modern world.
- Leverage heritage as a tool to build nations and for social cohesion.
- Make sure that South Africa’s rich cultural tapestry is never watered down, but made richer as time goes on.
“Heritage is not a memory of the past; it is the pulse of the present which youth are carrying forward into the future.” – Tshidiso Motaung.
Building Heritage as a way of being
Heritage is what we do every day. Heritage is in the storytellers of the past, in the conversations between grandparents and grandchildren, it’s in the festivals that highlight who we are, it’s in the classroom learning our histories, and in activism that fights for our identities to be recognised.
At SAAYC, we believe it is important for youth to see themselves as leaders, rather than outsiders, in this process. When youth adopt their role as custodians of living heritage, they not only perpetuate traditions; they build an inclusive, aspirational, prideful South Africa.
For more information about how SAAYC empowers youth as custodians of South Africa’s heritage, visit: www.saayc.co.za
#LivingHeritage | #YouthCustodians | #SAAYCForChange
