RESOLUTIONS OF THE 55TH NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS
ARTS, CULTURE AND HERITAGE:
For Building of a Democratic and Non-Racial Society, United in its Diversity Anchored on African values of Ubuntu/Botho
1. Introduction
We reaffirm the policy recommendations taken by the 6th National Policy Conference and therefore bring them to the 55th National Conference to consider for adoption and resolution. This includes some of the recommended resolutions that were taken in the commission on the 18 December 2022.
In dealing with issues confronting arts, culture, heritage and archiving, the commission took into account the history of the liberation movement, the constitution of the African National Congress (ANC), Freedom Charter, the South African Constitution and the conditions facing our people, among other things.
The Aims and Objectives of the Constitution of the African National Congress (ANC) implores us “to unite all the people of South Africa for the complete liberation of the country from all forms of discrimination and national oppression” and “to end apartheid in all its forms and transform South Africa rapidly as possible into a united, non-racial, non-sexist and democratic country based on the principles of the Freedom Charter and in pursuit of the National Democratic Revolution”. Wherein the Freedom Charter declares that “South Africa belongs to all who live in it, Black and White” in pursuit of the National Democratic Society.
The vision is to build a South African nation with a common patriotism and loyalty in which cultural, linguistic and religious diversity of the people is recognised. Wherein the Preamble of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa states that, “we, the people of South Africa, recognise the injustices of our past, Honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land; Respect those who have worked to build and develop our country, and
Believe that South Africa Belongs to All Who Live in it; United in Our Diversity”.
2. Background
The ANC’s vision for the South African arts and culture is guided by the Freedom Charter that the “Doors of Learning and Culture Shall Be Opened where the government shall discover, develop and encourage national talent for the enhancement of our cultural life”. Within the broader liberation movement context, the ANC viewed arts and culture as a tool for the mobilization of society. President Oliver Reginald Tambo succinctly stated this understanding when he proclaimed that “let the arts be one of the many means by which …we inspire the millions of our people to fight for the South Africa we envisage”.
In the Ready to Govern on the Arts and Culture, the ANC envisioned “a flourishing cultural life that is vital to the well-being of South Africa. On the eve of the democratic breakthrough the ANC envisioned a government that will strive to facilitate and celebrate cultural production that captures the diversity, complexity and vibrancy of all South Africans in which the ANC recognizes that through arts and culture a sense of national identity and pride can be cultivated.”
On Social Cohesion, Patriotism and Moral Regeneration
We note that:
* In the post-apartheid South Africa, there is an increasing necessity to again use the arts, culture and heritage as a mobilising tool to aspire for democratic non-racialism, non-sexist and prosperous society coming from over 350 years of colonialism and apartheid, which was oppressive, discriminatory and suppressive.
* There continues to be many incidences of racialism in our country since the 1994 democratic breakthrough where arts and culture, including heritage has narrowed the bases over a period of time. However, recently there have been a significant number of racially motivated incidences reported in various parts of the country, this requires the arts and culture including heritage to intensify their education role to deal with the recent emergence of racism in the country.
* By reviving arts and culture as a tool of mobilisation, using music, poetry, theatre and other forms of artistic expressions, these can unite the nation with our common programme of Nation Building Project with the aim to transform the heritage sites to include all history of South Africa or link to it. The emphasis here is the project of Nation Building which is a Constitutional imperative as espoused by the state and championed by government.
* The Nation Building Project cannot be separated from the project of promoting a cohesive society. Social Cohesion Project should be based on the promotion of dialogues on matters that divides the nation and finding solutions, including dealing with contemporary agendas such as patriarchy in society, national identity where we define ourselves as who we are. The dialogues need to unravel what does it mean when our Constitution declared that, “South Africa belongs to all who live in it, United in Our diversity”. Based on our own understandings and research, a theoretical understanding must be developed and fused into the national agenda. The programme will include our uniting on the flag, the national anthem, the elevation and use of all official languages to be spoken and used in private, public and in business as part of enriching our diversity.
Believing that:
* To achieve these noble goals, there is a need to focus on programmes of moral regeneration which will include ethical conduct that is informed by African values of Ubuntu/Botho of “you are because we are” that promoted family and community values of all national groups towards building a solid nation United in its diversity.
* Culture should take its hegemonic role to glue all national groupings towards one common nationality and South African citizenship.
Understanding that:
* Globally, most nations are using culture to define themselves and their sense of responsibilities towards the nation. In the first 5 years of the democratic rule, we recognised the importance of nation building and reconstruction when we included as part of the Reconstruction and Development Plan, the Reconstruction and Development Plan of the Soul as part of rebuilding of the new Nation.
Therefore, resolve that:
* The ANC to deepen an understanding through political education, on the National Question and the resolution thereof; and to develop theoretical documents, seminal papers, political theories, and thesis on non-racialism within its membership, cadre-ship and leadership.
* The ANC must in its strategy be deliberate in recruiting minority groups in the renewal agenda as part of ensuring the character of the ANC remains relevant and becomes the home of the people of South Africa; from branch level to high organs of the organisation.
* The government must intensify its programmes on Social Cohesion, Nation Building using dialogues, special programmes towards entrenchment of Patriotism in schools, communities, in sport, using music and other genres to unite South Africans.
* The government must intensify on popularisation and embracement of the Flag, National Anthem, the Country’s Constitution and other national symbols.
* The government must distribute copies of the Constitution in all South African Official Languages and ensure that the Flag is hoisted and displayed in all government buildings and institutions, in schools and other public places to promote national pride and national identity.
* The National Anthem and the African Anthem must be sung in all state events and the government to encourage that the two anthems are also sung in sport occasions and other major events.
* The government must support all cultural arts and heritage that are building towards a common objective of building a United, Non-Racial and Non-Sexist and Democratic society.
* The ANC as a whole must have a strong focused campaign that is aimed at fighting the stubborn and persistent demon of tribalism, ethnicity and racism in our country.
* The ANC in partnership with relevant government institutions, Non-Governmental Organisation, Non-Profit Organisations, Religious Groups, and Civil Society Groupings, traditional leadership institutions, local government organised groups such as SALGA. should revive the programme on Nation Building.
* The ANC must consult with diverse structures of society on the arts, culture, heritage and archiving, and government led by the Department of Sport Arts and Culture should lead debates and dialogue, discussions through seminars, colloquiums and conferences on social cohesion on all pertinent matters that seems to divide us as a people from the past to the present. The Department of Sport Arts and Culture and its entities should focus their research agendas in the achievement of these noble goals.
* In dealing with these issues, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture should work very closely with other stakeholders including the Department of Defence and Military Veterans, Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Department of Social Development, Department of Tourism and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
Arts, Culture, Heritage and Archiving
On Organisational matters:
Noting that:
* The Archives Committee has been seized with various heritage projects such as exhumation, repatriation and reburial, liberation archives (in various institutions) plus the restoration of our historical sites.
* That for the first time since the early 1990s the ANC has a Commission dedicated to Arts, Culture and Heritage in its conferences;
* The establishment of the Commission was in line with the long standing tradition of the ANC to use arts, culture and heritage as a site of struggle for a non-racial society and for the restoration of the African value system of Ubuntu/Botho;
* The ANC’s vision on arts, culture and heritage is guided by the Freedom Charter, “The Doors of Learning and Culture shall be opened to all”.
* In the ‘Ready to Govern’ document, the ANC envisioned a flourishing cultural life that is vital to the well-being of South Africa in which arts, culture and heritage is used for national identity and nation building.
* The Policy Conference discussed at length and agreed on the following as its primary mandate:
Believing that:
* There is a need to strengthen the ANC’s overall position on arts, culture and heritage;
* There is a need for the ANC to reclaim the space of arts, culture and heritage;
* There is a strong need to redefine the role of arts, culture and heritage in the transformation of society;
* There is a strong need for the ANC to coordinate and promote a common understanding, on all matters of arts, culture and heritage between the different spheres of government.
Understanding that:
* The ANC did not have a dedicated structure that focuses on arts, culture and heritage as it used to have during the period of liberation struggle;
* In the period of Government of National Unity (GNU), the ANC allocated the portfolio for arts, culture, heritage to other parties and this had the negative effect on the ANC policy position of using arts, culture and heritage as a pillar for the mobilisation of society and nation building.
* The ANC has used to its advantage and very effectively the arts, culture and heritage as part of cultural diplomacy in mobilising the international community to support the liberation struggle in South Africa;
* Based on some observation is that countries use effectively the art, culture and heritage to promote their values and people to people relations including the thinking and the direction of a society desired;
* The government, for strategic reasons, merged the Department of Sport and Recreation with the Department of Arts and Culture and thus creating competing competencies that led to the weakening of the management (e.g. having one Director-General), overloading with such a broad agenda and thus missing out on the objective of their mandates.
We therefore resolve that:
* The incoming NEC must establish a dedicated NEC Sub-Committee on Arts, Culture, Heritage, Archiving and Nation Building.
* That the current Archives programme will now be incorporated into the proposed Arts Culture and Heritage Committee.
* All subsequent ANC National Conferences must continue to have a dedicated Commission on Arts, Culture, Heritage and Archiving with the aim of consolidating and broadening of arts, culture and heritage as the pillar for the achievement of the National Democratic Struggle (NDS) and the restoration of the African value system of Ubuntu/ Botho.
On Government matters
Noting that:
* Government is doing some work on the decolonisation of colonial and apartheid spaces; including, the South African chapter of the African Liberation Heritage Programme (ALHP) and named the Resistance and Liberation Heritage Route (RLHR);
* The African Liberation Heritage Programme (ALHP) was adopted at the 33rd General Conference of the United Nations Education Science and Culture Organisation (UNESCO) recognising the liberation struggle heritage as important and having a universal value and significance (33 C/ DR.29). This programme was also endorsed by the Sixteenth Ordinary Session of the African Union (Assembly/AU/Dec.357 (XVI)) in 2011.
* An Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) was formed with 10 (ten) government departments, to plan and deliver on the RLHR programme in South Africa including Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries who supported South African Liberation Struggle.
* Cabinet approved the White Paper on Arts and Culture, however there is slow progress in implementation.
* The ANC need to recall the 1991 Policy Document with the view to assess the current conjuncture and to update it.
* The matter of the current statues that are in all our cities of the former colonial and apartheid leaders should be considered to be removed or replaced based on the proposals that may be proposed by members of society. For example, the statue of Hertzog in Bloemfontein and that of Smuts in front of parliament.
Understanding that:
* The decolonisation project is a critical element for heritage transformation,
* The government is tasked to review all laws that deal with racism in general and practices (including utterances and incidents) that entrench racism. If in the final analysis, measures that discourage racism are found to be inadequate, a review should introduce stiffer sanctions against perpetrators of racism.
* The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition has developed a policy on Copyrights and the Performance Protection Bill to which the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture gave input.
* There is serious under funding of the arts, culture and heritage in South Africa due to the many competing priorities arising from the neglect created by colonial apartheid.
* Also an observation is made that each time there are fiscal challenges, the arts, culture and heritage are the first to be targeted for budget cuts.
We therefore resolve that:
* The White Paper on Arts and Culture which was recently approved by cabinet must be aligned to the ANC Policy Document through a process of continuous policy revisions;
* The ANC must strengthen, deepen and further develop its programme of decolonisation and decoloniality;
* Apartheid and colonial statues should be removed or replaced with a proposal that has be reached through a consultative process;
* The Resistance and Liberation Heritage Route must be expedited sequentially completed and promoted;
* ANC research Unit must be re-established to also focus on heritage, museums, heritage sites and archives for purposes of policy development and guidelines; and must also partner with other institutions of higher learning and like-minded institutions, nationally and internationally) The relevant government departments that deal with arts, culture and heritage must continue to collaborate, support heritage education in communities and schools;
* Funding for arts, culture and heritage should also be prioritised to augment the programme on healing and nation building;
* The leveraging of arts and culture’s role in building patriotism, sense of nationalism and new national identity which transcends race, religion, tribalism and other identities must be consolidated to be able to assist in the achievement of the objectives of building a national democratic society.
Sectoral Resolutions
■ On Arts
Noting that:
* The arts are a mirror of society and interpreter of societal values. This because they have an ability to promote the African values of Ubuntu/Botho and our diverse arts imperatives.
* The Creative Industries in the arts have a great potential of contributing to tourism and employment possibilities for small scale entrepreneurs, alleviating unemployment and contributing to the fiscus.
* The exploitation of artists by private companies and their creative products resulting in artist and art practitioners dying as paupers is of great concern.
* The public broadcaster continues to prioritise artistic form such as music, drama, films etc. from other countries and at the expense of local content.
* The Councils/ Boards of art institutions does not have representation from the Youth, Women and the People living with Disabilities is a matter which needs attention.
Understanding that:
* The new technological developments as a result of the 4th Industrial Revolution which cannot be avoided because of the advancement of society has made access to replication of other peoples work very easy.
* The youth of our country is deprived of the new forms of knowledge because the school curriculum in particular the non-paying public schools which does not teach this knowledge in the schools as subjects denies them a growth potential in the arts knowledge system.
* The artists and some art practitioners die poor because they do not have control of ownership of their intellectual property and copyrights due to the laws that do not fully cover them.
* The use of service providers in most cases deny the content originators full rights over ownership of their intellectual property through
* Digital Rights Management. Various tools or technological protection can restrict the use of the proprietary hardware copyright and copyrighted work.
* The publishing of books that are specifically in indigenous languages are continually declining because of lack of appetite by publishing companies.
We therefor resolve that:
* The promotion of fine art, drama, dance, theatre, films etc. must be introduced in historically disadvantaged schools for children interested in this curriculum.
* A policy on ‘basic salary’ and compensation of artists in South Africa must be investigated and legislated as a matter of priority like in the self-determination of the labour segment that government has considered and continues to consider in the labour market.
* Part of promoting indigenous languages, like our Governing Printing Works, the state must establish a publishing company that will publish books and stories written in local languages and about South African experiences and these be prescribed and promoted as part of the Constitutional mandate of equally promoting all languages.
* The state must also establish a Heritage Education Institute similar to the School of Government that will train new cadres as change agents using the arts, culture and heritage.
* Art centres such as Maboneng must be strategically positioned to cater for young people from the immediate communities.
* The Public Broadcaster must increase the airing of the local content in all Television and Radio stations as seen in USA/Western, Asia and other parts of the African content
* The use of the SA flag in all state funded projects, such as schools, public universities, municipalities, traditional leadership institutions sites, provincial and national institutions, including the hospitality industry must be prioritised. An investigation should be done like other countries of the world where vehicle registration has flag of the country to promote national identity.
* The strategic funding for local artists and projects which transcends social national boundaries must be established by the government, e.g. funding of songs that are aimed at dealing with national agendas should be encouraged, such as songs that deal with grief, social cohesion etc.
* Government must ensure equitable representation so that designated groups would be able to push for the agendas that affect their constituencies in these Councils/Boards in order to have proper representation of Youth, Women and People living with Disabilities,
* Government must encourage and support the craft industry, including the art practitioners that are dedicated to the arts and such school need to be extended to support skills that are so needed in the Golden Economy and SMME markets.
* Municipalities must make space in the civic centres where artists can display their work and make it accessible to members of the public and tourists to see and to buy as to support the locally produced products as part of contributing to the economy.
■ On culture
Noting that:
* There is a lack of a comprehensive policy that foregrounds African systems of Ubuntu that can assist in the mainstreaming of indigenous knowledge systems and the mainstreaming of culture and heritage which can assist in the decolonisation of public social spaces and the education system.
* There is an increase in the culture of discrimination, patriarchy and lack of proper socialization of boy and girl children.
* There is an increasing moral decay in our society that is evident in the statistics on crime and other societal ills.
Understanding that:
* Language is the most important tool in the socialisation of individuals and communities and that it is also used to transmit and preserve culture.
* There is a concern about the continued use of racial classifications that were developed by the colonial and apartheid states to divided people based on the complexion of their skins.
* Race classification of the historically oppressed groups and divisions by the apartheid state, if they still are applicable in a post-apartheid society, has an adverse potential that will promote racialism.
* The full use of South African languages (regionally applicable) in all aspects of government must be mandatory, to reflect the letter and spirit of the Constitution and fulfilment of the RSA Constitutional imperative as outlined in the Preamble that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.
We therefore resolve that:
* A review of the Schools Act to reinforce the introduction of at least two indigenous regional languages in schools.
* There be an alignment in language promotion with the Promotion/Protection of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities Rights Commission Bill.
* The development of a policy to infuse indigenous knowledge systems and craft, including indigenous medicines into the mainstream.
* The use of ‘wars of resistance’ and ‘banishment areas’ to profile the role of traditional leadership and traditional institutions in resistance struggle and resistance by African communities towards colonialism.
* Culture be used to as an instrument for cultural diversity, cultural tolerance and social inclusion.
* Strong efforts must be made to protect, preserve, develop, codify and promote the Khoi and San languages for use before they go extinct.
* The mass digitization of South Africa’s cultural treasures and heritage and its protection using the intellectual property and the copyright where the state could be the holder of such rights if such rights are part of the heritage of the people. These treasures would be owned by the state on behalf of the people. Such should be identified and recorded as one of the ways of safeguarding and preserving them.
Imperatives on Policy Perspectives:
■ On heritage
Noting that:
* The Cabinet approved the Policy on Exhumation, Repatriation and Reburials.
* A policy on the distribution of Lottery funds where a percentage of the lottery fund is disbursed for heritage projects. The funds must be contributed to the responsible department which will distribute to relevant agencies and institutions based on government priorities.
* There is a need for a review of the National Lottery Commission that exclude government funded institutions.
* A policy of identifying ICONS whose contribution in society has achieved higher status and should become national assets that go beyond family, relatives and party. Such a policy is urgently needed to guide the nation to honour these icons properly and appropriately.
* Memorialisation and honouring of ALL liberation struggle heroes and heroines be prioritised to heal the nation as the Constitution dictates in the Preamble says, “to be honour those who fought for Justice and Freedom as part of healing of the nation”.
* Liberation struggle graves, mandated as state assets to be preserved, protected and maintained. The mandated government institutions must ensure that graves which are memorial sites of heroes, heroines and victims of massacres and other state killings must be fenced and maintained and not desecrated.
* Has sacred places, municipalities must also ensure that graves in their jurisdiction are fenced and maintained as part of their mandate but the maintenance of the grave itself remains the responsibility of the family.
* There are a number of independent heritage sites and in particular museums started by NGOs and NPOs whose focus is the liberation history and heritage such as the Mandela House in Soweto, the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, the Liliesleaf Farm Museum in Rivonia must become agencies of the state.
* That South Africans tend to promote and celebrate their heritage only on heritage day where people retrieve their ethic attire from their closets for purposes of showcasing them.
* The government has neglected liberation history and those of the armies of the liberation movement with no exhibitions or museums commemorating the gallant fighters of these armies, whereas the armies of colonialism and apartheid are glorified in a state funded museum in Johannesburg and other small museums.
Understanding that:
* The ANC and other liberation movements has many of their members and heroes that fell and were buried in other countries.
* The ANC when it comes to arts, culture and heritage has some policy gaps that it needs to address.
* The cultural and heritage artefacts that were taken from us during the conquerors during the colonial era that are now treasures of the colonial states remains in the hands of the colonial governments and have not been returned.
* The remains of the body parts of our heroic kings that remains as trophies in the museums of the colonial states must be returned so that their spirits can rests, e.g. Inkosi Bambata of the Bambata rebellion heads remains buried in Britain or stored in their museums. The speedy repatriation of the remains of the Khoi Chief Stuurman must be finalised with the Austrian government. All possible efforts to be done to research and locate the head of King Hintsa so that it is repatriated back to South Africa.
Resolve that:
* The ANC and government using all existing platforms of communications should popularise the existing policy on repatriation of human remains, outlining the process that families, communities and institutions need to follow in order to have a successful process. When repatriation takes place, a tomb must be left in the country of origin where comrades were initially buried. There is a need to engage with such and find a formula that will resolve any country specific requirements, understanding that some countries such as Uganda would not allow repatriation.
* The SANDF also have a programme of the repatriation of the remains of the Military Soldiers in various countries back to South Africa. The intension is to have one trip that will collect and bring all the remains back home, the Arts, Culture and Heritage Committee must engage with the responsible government departments so that guidelines are developed that will take into account the cultural aspects such as the performance of rituals by families of those that fell in foreign lands. The ANC must take lead in guiding this exercise.
* The ANC should develop a guiding resolution arising from the 55th National Conference to guide its members, structures, families in line with the policy adopted by government on exhumations, repatriation and reburials itself subject to further reviews. This guiding resolution must also take into account that many countries which sacrificed for our liberation are very proud to host the graves of our fallen heroines and heroes. Accordingly, exhumations and care for the graves of our leaders and cadres should be discussed with the countries concerned.
* The ANC to ensure is tougher on racial incidents and attacks by those who continue to perpetuate the racism. The ANC must ensure the laws are meted out to those perpetrators, to reach all that demon of racism as scourge will never be tolerated in South Africa.
* We are all equal and should strive to build a United, Non-Racial, Non-Sexist and Democratic society as our revolutionary objective, guided by our Republic of South Africa Constitution, the Freedom Charter and the ANC Character and objectives as enshrined in the ANC Constitution.
* The ANC to review all the laws aimed at stemming out racism to ensure they are enabling to mete out tougher sentences to the racist perpetrators. Should it be found that the laws are not adequate enough, the ANC should call for the review of the laws to strengthen them to stem out racism.
* The ANC should embark in its programmes, a Campaign Against Racism, ensure its members are mobilised to expose racism and those who continue to derail our resolve to end racism.
* A policy on the classification of heroes and heroines by the ANC and other liberation movements to guide the status of leaders whether they are local, regional, and national leaders. This should include former comrades that were given initial official burial status and that status should not be downgraded.
* The ANC should give guidance on the criteria of naming and renaming place names and other features in memory of liberation struggle heroes and military veterans and events, taking into account the and international character of liberation through the Geographical Names Change Council Act. To further strengthen this process and to inculcate the spirit of social cohesion and standardisation of geographical place names and features, the Department of Sport Arts and Culture must review the South African Geographical Names Council Act of 1998 to give effect to the new imperatives since the Act was passed.
* The government must pass legislation that would allow that different spheres of government should develop museums, archives and memorial sites and proposes that this should be addressed by relevant authorities. These assets should be unlocked for social, economic and tourism development.
* The memorial sites and graveyards that are in townships and other areas must be maintained by relevant authorities.
* These assets should be unlocked for social, economic and tourism development.
* These sites be considered for grading in terms of the Cultural Institutions Act No 119 of 1998 and the National Heritage Resources Act No 25 of 1999.
* A criterion for funding for heritage sites and institutions must be developed by government.
* The ANC must resolve and guide on local, provincial and national heroes and burial sites and the establishment of heroes’ acres.
* Graves in rural and urban spaces must be looked after and must not be left to decay, the relevant departments must assist municipalities with the maintenance of liberation heroes’ graves.
* Municipalities must take the lead in the management of burial sites-fencing and providing security at cemeteries be prioritised and budgeted for. In the gravesites, there must be a section dedicated to heroes and heroines and prominent members of the community.
* The government should establish heroes’ acres for National and Provincial Leaders in South Africa’s Capital and in all provincial capitals. t must be a focused and dedicated programme.
* Sites that have national significance, the state must have a right to expropriate such sites to be the asset of the nation (e.g., the Sanlam Centre where Steve Biko was tortured in Qeberha). If similar buildings exist, the state must also expropriate them based on the criteria set on a case-by-case basis.
* That a campaign that promotes the diversity of South African cultures must be instituted whereby monthly a different South African heritage will be promoted.
* The promotion of visits to museums and heritage sites by learners, students and parents as part of engaging with the heritage of all South Africans and that museums must be reflective of the diversity of the South African experience.
* That where necessary and where the names are offensive to the community, members of the community must be assisted to propose to the Geographical Names Change the change of streets or towns and features like mountains and rivers to names that the community would feel comfortable with.
* The local heroes must be commemorated in their localities through different mediums and that the local government must support such initiatives.
* The number of statues that were erected and are not yet unveiled must be unveiled as a matter of urgency and any impediments to their unveiling be resolved.
* The government should partner with communities and schools on the development of the National Resistance and Liberation Heritage Route.
* A dedicated museum to the armies of liberation and the wars of resistance in South Africa must be established.
* The history and heritage of the liberation struggle and resistance should be promoted from local government, provincial government and national government.
* The National Resistance and Liberation Heritage Route must be fully supported and well-funded by government.
Specific Resolutions
We further Resolve that:
* The Conference discussed the need to organize the colloquium on arts culture and heritage to make an honest assessment of where the ANC is since its last conference on arts and culture in the 1980s.
* The ANC needs to urgently mobilize voices for the accelerated implementation of the Revised White Paper that is unfolding.
* Revival of ‘cultural attaché’ to be established in selected embassies across the world.
* There is a need to broaden the scope that focuses on nation building and national reconciliation to meet current challenges through arts, culture and heritage.
General Resolutions
Noting that:
* The ANC must submit its inputs to the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture Revised White Paper on Arts Culture and Heritage.
* The records of the liberation struggle and the liberation movements is scattered throughout the world.
* The destruction caused by the fires at the University of Cape Town Archives, the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa and other institutions with significant archives and heritage of the people is at risk of being lost for ever through unsafe buildings.
* South African heroes are buried all over the world are some of the families desire the repatriation of the children and relatives.
Understanding that:
* The documents of the liberation struggle which are scattered all over the world belongs to the ANC.
* The memory that is stored in various archives and institutions belongs to South Africa and future generations.
* The South African heroes buried all over the world belonged equally belonged to their individual families and the ANC.
We therefore resolve that:
* The government must support the establishment of an independent memory bank based on non-partisan basis to house the history of all the South African Liberation Movements.
* The government must urgently develop a policy and programme of digitisation of significant collections across the board to save the memory of South Africa scattered in different institutions.
* Government must establish a ‘heroes’ acre’ in line with international standards and also make sure that all graves in South Africa are taken care of and respected.
* Where government has successfully approved the renaming of spaces, for purposes of education, a narrative of the name must be clearly worded and exhibited in those places and buildings, and this can be done by using modern technologies.
* All municipalities must review all by laws that are not friendly to the culture of the majority of the people of South Africa, United in our diversity.
* That the government must have a series of public gatherings on arts, culture and heritage to make an honest assessment of the road travelled in the arts, culture and heritage since the democratic breakthrough.
* The Department of International Relations must revive and re-stablish cultural attaches in selected embassies across the world.
* The project and scope of nation building, national reconciliation and safer communities must be broadened to meet current challenges through the arts, culture and heritage
* The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture must be split into two departments with focus on Sport and the other on Arts, Culture and Heritage under one Ministry but with two separate Director-Generals;
* The government develops a policy and sustain a programme to digitize collections for access and to avoid memory losses that can be caused by disasters (such as fires and floods);
* Honour veterans who are still alive and establish heroes’ acres for those who have passed on in line with international standards to memorialise the contribution of liberation struggle activists. In establishing the hero’s acres at local, provincial and national level, the government must respect the will of families;
* The government should transform, decolonise and diversify the heritage space and establish new sites of memory;
* Where renaming of sites has been approved, a narrative of the name must be clearly worded and exhibited in those places and buildings including the use of modern technology. A discussion document must be developed that will guide the engagements to find common understanding among South Africans that will lead to a policy that must be developed. This must also examine how other countries have treated similar situations.
* Municipalities must fuse in the culture of all South African life and review all by laws that are not friendly to the culture of the majority of the people of South Africa united in their diversity.
* The ANC must be central in the development of government policies and the review of such policies so that they have clear ANC perspectives;
* The Copyright Bill and Performance Protection Bill for the arts and culture industry as a whole should urgently be passed by parliament; only after further engagement, including public hearings with the sectors and industry has been satisfactory concluded.
* The arts, culture and heritage should be positioned as a centre of social transformation and regarded as national priority;
* The ANC must promote intergovernmental cooperation of departments that have a bearing on arts, culture and heritage and interprovincial cooperation;
* The ANC must use arts, culture and heritage as a tool for mobilisation to build a non-racial, non-sexist, united, democratic and prosperous society.
Outstanding challenges:
We therefore resolve that:
* The below 11 Outstanding challenges identified, require in-depth research, further investigations to be fully comprehended into ANC policies.
* The incoming National Executive Committee (NEC) and its sub-committee to be seized with research and development on policies working with Higher Education Institutions, Research Bodies and doing international benchmarking towards the 2025 Policy Conference.
* Those programmes that do not need policies to fuse them into the current agenda of the ANC and the relevant departments on Government.
* The incoming NEC Sub-Committee on Arts, Culture and heritage must be ceased with the issue of ensuring that the ANC Digital Archive is live and the matter must be resolved with the service provider who digitised the ANC Archives. The ANC must also develop a clear policy on the management of the ANC digital archive material. Further to this, the government must also pass legislation on Digital Archiving and the protection of the archive owners to benefit from their own material.
1. What more should we do at local and national level to support art, culture and heritage?
2. How can we celebrate our diversity and our heritage at local level?
3. How do we guarantee sustainable funding for our programs?
4. How do we ensure the continuation of transformation of memory spaces?
5. How do we diversify and create new sites of memory?
6. How do we continuously transform public spaces, geographical names and features?
7. How should we use digital mechanisms to promote the arts, culture and heritage?
8. How do we convert analogue into digital format?
9. How do we leverage arts, culture and heritage to benefit commercially?
10. How do we assist artists with protection and retention of their copyrights and digital rights?
11. How do we preserve and promote liberation heritage sites from the advent of colonialism?
Produced by the ANC Department of Information and Publicity
Issued by the African National Congress, 3 March 2023
