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September marks Heritage Month in South Africa – a moment to reflect deeply on who we are, what shapes us, and what we pass on. Heritage is not only about history, monuments, and traditions. It is about how we live today, the values we nurture, and the society we are building for the next generation.
The key question we must ask is: what heritage are we leaving for our children? Heritage is not just about preservation; it is about responsibility. It is about kindness, justice, and care for one another. It is about ensuring that when the children of tomorrow inherit this world, they inherit a society worth living in.
The late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, famously said “Children are our greatest treasure. They are our future. Listen to them.”. Those words echo profoundly in the work of ASSITEJ South Africa, which exists to create spaces where children and young people can express, imagine, and be heard. Too often, society speaks about young people without creating enough platforms to listen to them. ASSITEJ insists that children are not just “the future”; they are our present. If we fail them now, we fail the future.
This is why the arts, and especially theatre for young audiences, matter so deeply. Theatre is not just entertainment – it is education, reflection, and transformation. It gives young people tools to dream, to question, to empathize, and to understand themselves and others. A child who experiences theatre learns to see the world differently, to imagine possibilities beyond their immediate circumstances, and to believe in their own voice.
Yet across South Africa, theatre faces challenges. Audiences are dwindling, artists struggle to sustain their work, and too often, creativity depends on small grants that cannot carry the weight of a whole sector. Without deliberate investment and support, many children will never have the chance to experience the transformative power of the arts.
If we are to create a new heritage, we must build a culture of supporting the arts. That means taking children to the theatre, encouraging schools to include theatre in their programs, and creating access for those who cannot afford it. It means investing not out of pity or charity but out of recognition: that the arts are essential to who we are and who we want to become. A sustainable creative sector depends on audiences who care enough to engage, to participate, and to celebrate the brilliance of artists.
Heritage is alive – it is something we create daily. This Heritage Month, let us reflect on more than what we have inherited. Let us consider what we are building now for the children who will inherit it tomorrow. Let us listen to the kids, nurture their creativity, and give them the spaces they deserve.
In doing so, we will not only honour our heritage but also create a new one: a heritage of imagination, justice, compassion, and art that belongs to all. That is the kind of legacy worth leaving behind.
– Obett Motaung, Board Member, ASSITEJ South Africa
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