“I Don’t Have a Culture!”

“I don’t have a culture!”  Words spoken every year by many white South Africans, mostly those of English descent, when those of other ethnicities don their traditional attire and celebrate their heritage on 24^th September, Heritage Day.  Be it the Zulu isicholo, Tswana Toishi fabrics or the striking Xhosa Umbhaco, the vibrant visual display of heritage ignites joy and celebration as the beat of the African drum and melody of indigenous languages in a cappella harmony fill the air.

Standing there, looking on, in a pair of jeans and springbok jersey, it is easy to see why a whitey like me could feel a sense of having no culture in these moments.  Were it not for marrying into Zulu heritage, I myself would still be wearing my jeans and a springbok top on Heritage day.  Whether rooted in a sadness that we don’t have something similar, or jealousy that the jeans just don’t have the same ‘je ne c’est quoi” as the rich, colourful attire around us on Heritage Day, we may find ourselves lacking.

This sense of lack may also be felt when seeing multiple celebrations across the world – whether the Carnivale in Brazil, Diwali in India, Chinese New Year, Pow wows of Native Americans or Corroboree of Aboriginies, the bright clothing and festivities are full of life and vigour.  Energy abounds.  The jeans and rugby top feel embarrassingly bland and perhaps less significant by comparison.  More functional than anything else.  My ‘western’ attire has no ‘pizzaz’ to boast.  Except for the Scots, of course, who have held proudly to their heritage and bring their kilts out of the closet.

Let’s think, what would the comparative wearing of traditional attire be for a white person, like me, of English descent?  Donning magnificent gowns for ladies, tail suits and top hats for gents?  These are seen now as being from a by-gone era, or perhaps only suitable for a ball or matric dance or wedding – but not for our ‘cultural attire.’  Why not?  If they are what was worn by our ancestors for ceremonies and celebrations alike, why have we shunned them?  Are we embarrassed by something they symbolise?  Or we just don’t have them in our cupboards because they are part of traditional history that we’ve wanted to move away from rather than embrace?  Do they remind us of our history, of how we behaved as if we owned the world?  Do they remind us of something of which we’re not proud? Is this incredibly uncomfortable?  Uncomfortable.  Yep. I think that’s one reason why we avoid it and say we “don’t have a culture”.

And so, we suggest that we don’t have a culture, rather than accepting that our ancestors behaved as if they owned the world and then spread our culture everywhere, so thick, that it has become the norm.  Like the air we breathe or the water fish swim in, we no longer even see our culture.

In truth, English tradition and culture is more than evident.  It is the principal language of business and tourism; books, magazines, and entertainment fill us with Eurocentric settings and concepts in English.  Yet this is not something we English can ‘wear’ on Heritage Day.  And so, we become blind to the fact that our white culture is all around us – that we have shaped everyone else’s normal every-day culture, in fact, and so have nothing left uniquely of our own for such a day.  For example, how many Zulu people do I know who own a pair of jeans?  Most of them.  Even the older generations.  This item of clothing of western origin has been pervasive.  Like jeans, our culture has gotten everywhere, which is why we no-longer see it as our culture – we see it as a norm from which we feel we are supposed to have something uniquely different when it comes to celebrating OUR heritage and culture.

Or perhaps, for some, our English-speaking culture has such a mixture of descendants from the original settlers from across European nations we have found ourselves having no specific culture with which we identify or wish to identify, possibly for some of the reasons above, or because there’s no other identification than our genes, and so we feel somewhat ‘lost’ on Heritage Day.

Depressed?  I hope not.  Wear your jeans and Springbok jersey.  Be grateful that you DO have a culture.  Become aware that your culture has, in fact, become a norm for others (which is a blog for another day).

Please, this Heritage Day, don’t say you ‘don’t have a culture.’  Rather, take the opportunity it creates to learn from the richness of others’ cultures and acknowledge the privilege you have of living your culture everyday.