It’s cool to be Khoi.
This is the message ANC MPL Christian Martin – a vocal advocate for Khoi and San rights – wants to take to schoolchildren in Port Elizabeth’s northern areas.
Martin, along with other Khoi and San chiefs, launched a “cultural reawakening programme” at the Van der Kemp’s Kloof field in Bethelsdorp on Sunday.
Martin said they hoped to change the way people thought about Khoi and San heritage through the Heritage Month programme, which would be run under the banner “Who am I? From Coloured to Khoi”.
He said they wanted people to be more “woke” when it came to their roots.
The group of Khoi and San activists will be visiting 52 schools in the northern areas in September (Heritage Month), educating pupils about the culture.
“We want to explain to pupils, and anyone who is willing to listen, where the term coloured comes from.
“We are starting with schools because we believe this is where children are being misinformed about the truth about themselves,” Martin said.
They wanted to do away with misconceptions.
“People often associate Khoi people with untidiness or weed smokers.
“For us, it is to propagate the truth behind the culture and the basics, like ‘what does the word Khoi mean?’
“Khoi means human being, and this is how our ancestors referred to themselves – not all these derogatory things that are being attached to it.”
Chief Crawford Fraser said the programme was also part of their preparation for the 2021 census.
“To my understanding, there are people who are called coloured but are of Khoi and San descent, but there are also coloureds that are not of Khoi and San descent.
“And this is what the census is going to establish,” he said.
“You may find that there are close to 10-million Khoi and San people in Southern Africa after the census.”
Fraser said they wanted to encourage people to embrace their culture and would be running awareness campaigns about the 2021 census.
Martin said they wanted the culture to appear on the census form.
“People will no longer be forced to tick ‘coloured’, they will be able to tick the ‘Khoi and San’ box after 2021.”
The Khoi and San group will also be holding a !Habab ceremony, the initiation of girls into womanhood, and a Nau! celebratory event – where boys are welcomed into manhood.
The seven-day ceremony will take place between September 22 and 29 at the Van der Kemp’s Kloof field.
It will run concurrently with national Heritage Day celebrations on September 23-24.
Martin said speakers would include Khoi and San, government and community leaders, and there would be poetry, music and other performances.
‘Woke’ message to kids: It’s cool to be Khoi
Image: Supplied
It’s cool to be Khoi.
This is the message ANC MPL Christian Martin – a vocal advocate for Khoi and San rights – wants to take to schoolchildren in Port Elizabeth’s northern areas.
Martin, along with other Khoi and San chiefs, launched a “cultural reawakening programme” at the Van der Kemp’s Kloof field in Bethelsdorp on Sunday.
Martin said they hoped to change the way people thought about Khoi and San heritage through the Heritage Month programme, which would be run under the banner “Who am I? From Coloured to Khoi”.
He said they wanted people to be more “woke” when it came to their roots.
The group of Khoi and San activists will be visiting 52 schools in the northern areas in September (Heritage Month), educating pupils about the culture.
“We want to explain to pupils, and anyone who is willing to listen, where the term coloured comes from.
“We are starting with schools because we believe this is where children are being misinformed about the truth about themselves,” Martin said.
They wanted to do away with misconceptions.
“People often associate Khoi people with untidiness or weed smokers.
“For us, it is to propagate the truth behind the culture and the basics, like ‘what does the word Khoi mean?’
“Khoi means human being, and this is how our ancestors referred to themselves – not all these derogatory things that are being attached to it.”
Chief Crawford Fraser said the programme was also part of their preparation for the 2021 census.
“To my understanding, there are people who are called coloured but are of Khoi and San descent, but there are also coloureds that are not of Khoi and San descent.
“And this is what the census is going to establish,” he said.
“You may find that there are close to 10-million Khoi and San people in Southern Africa after the census.”
Fraser said they wanted to encourage people to embrace their culture and would be running awareness campaigns about the 2021 census.
Martin said they wanted the culture to appear on the census form.
“People will no longer be forced to tick ‘coloured’, they will be able to tick the ‘Khoi and San’ box after 2021.”
The Khoi and San group will also be holding a !Habab ceremony, the initiation of girls into womanhood, and a Nau! celebratory event – where boys are welcomed into manhood.
The seven-day ceremony will take place between September 22 and 29 at the Van der Kemp’s Kloof field.
It will run concurrently with national Heritage Day celebrations on September 23-24.
Martin said speakers would include Khoi and San, government and community leaders, and there would be poetry, music and other performances.
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