As a 14-year-old girl growing up in the gritty streets of Butterworth in the Eastern Cape, Tando Songwevu did not really have cause to think much about her own Xhosa heritage.
Instead she envisioned herself as a successful fashion designer when she grew up.
Fast forward to this year and she has not only become a world-renowned cultural ambassador but has also just been honoured by the National Heritage Council of South Africa for her sterling work.
Last month she was bestowed with the prestigious Heritage Ambassador Award at this year’s annual Golden Shield Heritage Awards, which acknowledge the contribution made by organisations and individuals in preserving South Africa’s rich cultural heritage.
Songwevu is also a graduate and a thought leader from the Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute (TMALI) and was one of the five students representing the institution in a writing and publishing programme, who were bestowed with the accolade “Generation X”.
She acts as a catalyst for social action and seeks to unite and develop Africans through television and mass communication.
She also mentors vulnerable youth, equipping them with skills to deal with harsh socio-economic conditions.
She told the Saturday Dispatch she had been introduced to a “melting pot of different cultures” when she moved to Pretoria as a 14-year-old.
“I was introduced to different languages and cultures which was advantageous as it gave me an African world view. But in the process I lost my Xhosa cultural heritage,” she said.
It was while she was working as a project coordinator for SABC in 2009 that she started questioning her own identity.
“I started questioning the knowledge I was being fed by the media. I learnt about indigenous knowledge systems, and language as a carrier of culture, heritage and moral values. I learnt about my ancestors.” She was also disturbed by the erosion of moral values among young people. She also learnt how important African values like ubuntu and self-respect were embedded in her cultural belief system.
“If a young man can rape a grandmother, that means they have lost their self-respect. We grew up knowing that a grown up was your parent whether they were your parent or not,” she said.
She discovered that today’s youth could appropriate important lessons from their cultural heritage and history.
“Our moral values are embedded in tradition which in today’s world is seen as taboo and old-fashioned.”
It was during this time that she also started appreciating the diversity of people and wanted to learn more about African cultures.
She read works by Nkwame Nkrumah, Steve Biko, Thabo Mbeki, Mcebisi Mdletyana, Tiyo Soga and Sol Plaatjie.
She founded her own communications consulting company, EMBO Media, which offered multi-media campaigns, communications and academic projects.
She has also been involved in a cultural exchange programme in African American studies at Michigan State University and a Back to Africa campaign in partnership with the University of California.
She said the programmes forged links between the African continent and the diaspora.
She was excited that she was receiving her award because she believed Africa could only be developed if its people were united.
Her next plan is to set up an online television station which promotes African cultures throughout the world. — sikhon@dispatch.co.za
Tando’s culture works pay off
Instead she envisioned herself as a successful fashion designer when she grew up.
Fast forward to this year and she has not only become a world-renowned cultural ambassador but has also just been honoured by the National Heritage Council of South Africa for her sterling work.
Last month she was bestowed with the prestigious Heritage Ambassador Award at this year’s annual Golden Shield Heritage Awards, which acknowledge the contribution made by organisations and individuals in preserving South Africa’s rich cultural heritage.
Songwevu is also a graduate and a thought leader from the Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute (TMALI) and was one of the five students representing the institution in a writing and publishing programme, who were bestowed with the accolade “Generation X”.
She acts as a catalyst for social action and seeks to unite and develop Africans through television and mass communication.
She also mentors vulnerable youth, equipping them with skills to deal with harsh socio-economic conditions.
She told the Saturday Dispatch she had been introduced to a “melting pot of different cultures” when she moved to Pretoria as a 14-year-old.
“I was introduced to different languages and cultures which was advantageous as it gave me an African world view. But in the process I lost my Xhosa cultural heritage,” she said.
It was while she was working as a project coordinator for SABC in 2009 that she started questioning her own identity.
“I started questioning the knowledge I was being fed by the media. I learnt about indigenous knowledge systems, and language as a carrier of culture, heritage and moral values. I learnt about my ancestors.” She was also disturbed by the erosion of moral values among young people. She also learnt how important African values like ubuntu and self-respect were embedded in her cultural belief system.
“If a young man can rape a grandmother, that means they have lost their self-respect. We grew up knowing that a grown up was your parent whether they were your parent or not,” she said.
She discovered that today’s youth could appropriate important lessons from their cultural heritage and history.
“Our moral values are embedded in tradition which in today’s world is seen as taboo and old-fashioned.”
It was during this time that she also started appreciating the diversity of people and wanted to learn more about African cultures.
She read works by Nkwame Nkrumah, Steve Biko, Thabo Mbeki, Mcebisi Mdletyana, Tiyo Soga and Sol Plaatjie.
She founded her own communications consulting company, EMBO Media, which offered multi-media campaigns, communications and academic projects.
She has also been involved in a cultural exchange programme in African American studies at Michigan State University and a Back to Africa campaign in partnership with the University of California.
She said the programmes forged links between the African continent and the diaspora.
She was excited that she was receiving her award because she believed Africa could only be developed if its people were united.
Her next plan is to set up an online television station which promotes African cultures throughout the world. — sikhon@dispatch.co.za
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