Worthwhile investment
I realise that to change the names of our towns and airports will be expensive and will inconvenience many people, but if you put that against the sense of self-worth and validation that acknowledging the heritage and culture of so many people in SA will offer, surely it will be worth it.
The Australian government established a commission to research reasons for the high number of Aboriginal deaths in custody.
The deaths were traced back to a loss of heritage consciousness, which led to an erosion of cultural self-esteem, to a feeling of despair and the breakdown of health and wellbeing. This often led to substance abuse, which in turn fuelled violence and antisocial behaviour. The final result was often jail, where only too often the utter hopelessness led to death.
This bleak report shows us vividly the importance of knowledge about and pride in one’s heritage and the damage that can be done if this is not recognised and celebrated.
— Val Viljoen, via e-mail
Useful statue
Apparently in one large city in India, when the British left, all the colonial statues were moved to one park, where the queen mother sits graciously with a pigeon nest in her lap. — Philip Harper, Woodleigh, EL
LETTERS: EMonti already has a name
Image: GRAHAM TIMMS
EMonti already has a name
I was born and raised in East London, and I think it is wasteful to change names in the city. It is a really unnecessary exercise, because that money should be used in service delivery for the poor. It is just another ploy of the ANC government to find a way to channel state resources to their pockets.
New life is breathed into Eastern Cape renaming project
Growing up here, East London already had a Xhosa name, which is eMonti. So why now must it be replaced with a far-fetched name like kuGompo? Does the ANC have any idea of the money needed to remove every board and repaint every street name? Are these public servants really serving the poor, or their fat stomachs?
The legacy of the freedom fighters is being misused to fulfill greedy desires. — Sizwe Fubesi, via e-mail
Image: Invest Buffalo City via Twitter
Worthwhile investment
I realise that to change the names of our towns and airports will be expensive and will inconvenience many people, but if you put that against the sense of self-worth and validation that acknowledging the heritage and culture of so many people in SA will offer, surely it will be worth it.
The Australian government established a commission to research reasons for the high number of Aboriginal deaths in custody.
The deaths were traced back to a loss of heritage consciousness, which led to an erosion of cultural self-esteem, to a feeling of despair and the breakdown of health and wellbeing. This often led to substance abuse, which in turn fuelled violence and antisocial behaviour. The final result was often jail, where only too often the utter hopelessness led to death.
This bleak report shows us vividly the importance of knowledge about and pride in one’s heritage and the damage that can be done if this is not recognised and celebrated.
— Val Viljoen, via e-mail
Useful statue
Apparently in one large city in India, when the British left, all the colonial statues were moved to one park, where the queen mother sits graciously with a pigeon nest in her lap. — Philip Harper, Woodleigh, EL
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