Heritage Day at The People’s Farm
By Mirandi Nel and Jean Pierre du Plessis
On Heritage Day, Usiko gathered at The People's Farm in Jamestown. Lucinda and her family generously granted a piece of land to the community to plant a vegetable garden with the vision of feeding the community and providing a space for physical and spiritual nourishment. Spending the day with us were our partners from the Cape Winelands Biosphere Reserve and BrightSide Produce, Lwazi Mankahla, from Distell Development Trust, and students from Hoërskool Stellenzicht High along with interested members from the Stellenbosch community.
Prof Tony Naidoo, an elder of the Usiko community and one of the founders and board members of Usiko delivered the heritage day address. “Usiko is like the fertile soil we see here - we provide the foundation, and you - the children we work with (pointing to the Stellenzicht kids) - are the seeds, and we are excited to see how you grow. As each of you is different.”
Heritage Day reminds us to celebrate our natural heritage and connect with the people around us. “It’s also a moment to appreciate what was, what's to come and those who preceded us,” said Prof Naidoo. “In this community we refer to elders - a term no longer used enough - celebrating the wisdom and compassion that makes up those we can learn from - who walked a path in this community and on this earth,” he says. He further put emphasis on the fact that heritage is not only about the past, but also incorporates the present and the future.
The STEM trailer at The People’s Farm in Jamestown, Stellenbosch.
September also sees the celebration of Arbor Day, celebrating the value of trees and creating awareness of their importance. We shared a meal lovingly prepared by locals in the community, planted trees to provide nourishment for future generations and a few spekboom that will sequester carbon for years to come. We enjoyed getting to know the different branches that connect Usiko and the collaborative STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education project. Hands-on activities at the newly branded educational trailer included knowledge-sharing about Biosphere Reserves, books on South African insects and plants and hands-on activities with telescopes, microscopes, and binoculars.
Thanks to a grant from the US Consulate, we continue to connect with our community and individuals from partner institutions - through engaging in cross-cultural conversations that we hope will catalyst STEM education and bring awareness to the value of biodiversity.
Our heritage is indeed vibrant and filled with hope.
