KNYSNA NEWS - During the Khoisan Festival on 25 September at the Hornlee sports field, some of the Khoisan elders said they want the word “coloured” to be scrapped from the country's vocabulary, as they would prefer the word "Khoisan" or simply be acknowledged as indigenous people.
Isaac van Rooyen, one of the elders said, “It is a disgrace what the previous government did to us. We are the first nation and want to be treated as such.
"Celebrating our heritage is one of the first steps we’re taking towards claiming what is rightfully ours. We want to claim our land back and are fighting to have our language recognised,” he said.
“This so-called Hornlee was once called Bighai, meaning the heart of the Khoisan people, and we want it to be called that again,"
Another resident, Mabel Christoffels, said, “No culture exists without a language, so why is ours not celebrated and accepted,” adding that the celebrations sent a strong message about how the Khoisan people have survived and clung to their heritage.
Christoffels, who speaks Khoisan, said she is teaching the language to Khoisan folk in Cape Town and is planning to approach the Knysna municipality and propose workshops.
An elder, Barend Fredericks, said, "For many years we as the Khoisan people were outcasts in our own country while our daughters and wives were raped… We were made slaves and robbed of our ancestral land.
"Today we take pride in our culture as the first nation and landowners of our country, and we're bringing our culture back to our people."
Annie Grootboom, another resident, commented, "The possibility of having our land back is very exciting. We were born in Noetzie, our grandparents are buried there and we farmed for centuries there and today we are not even allowed to go there.
"It truly is about time the Khoisan, as a people, fought for what is rightfully theirs."
Gouriqua chief Elroy Baron from Mossel Bay and a member of the Western Cape Congress for Indigenous Leaders of South Africa, said, "The fact that Heritage Day is called Braai Day these days bothers me.There are Khoisan people who still don't know their roots and such days are very scarce.
The Hornlee community witnessed the first Khoisan Festival on 25 September. Some of the residents who attended were (from left) Annie Grootboom, Isaac van Rooyen, Barend Fredericks, Mabel Christoffels and Avril Terblanche.
"There is no state department that caters for our needs or raises awareness about our culture. The organisers have to use their own money to host the festival – which is heartbreaking."
The chief said there is no Khoisan leader in the country and that this should challenge the younger generation.
He said they do not agree with the traditional bill that was signed by the Cabinet three weeks ago.
"I am sure I speak for all Khoisan people when I say we are not 'traditional people' but are indigenous, and people need to stop calling us 'coloureds' as we are Khoisan."
ARTICLE & PHOTOS: NWABISA PONDOYI, KNYSNA-PLETT HERALD JOURNALIST
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