Human Rights Month

HUMAN RIGHTS MONTH BY FIONA WAKELIN

Launched by Honourable Minister Nathi Mthethwa

The 2022 Human Rights Month programme - “The Year of Unity and Renewal: Protecting and Preserving our Human Rights Gains” - was launched by the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture – Honourable Nathi Mthethwa.

Minister Mthethwa invited members of the media to the launch of the programme which took place on Tuesday, 01 March 2022 at the Kgosi Mampuru Museum in Pretoria.

The platform encouraged panelists to engage with and discuss a variety of human rights issues.

“In ensuring that the historical genesis of Human Rights Day is not lost, we need to give a socio-historical context of the commemoration, tracing its origins way back to the tumultuous events in Sharpeville, on 21 March 1960,” – Hon. Mthethwa.

“We need to provide a bird’s eye view in terms of the gains made in engendering a human rights culture since the advent of democracy. Women constitute a majority in the population, yet in many respects remain marginalised,” tweeted Minister Mthethwa

As a precursor to the dialogue, Minister Mthethwa took part in the I Choose 2B Active virtual gym class to promote healthy lifestyles and the fight against obesity, heart problems and to promote a reduction in hospital bills. This was streamed live on Zoom and social media.

"If we are active we are contributing positively to our vision of seeing an active society. You don't have to go to expensive gyms, just a walk or jog instead of waking up and driving to the nearest mall." – Hon. Mthethwa The recognition and preservation of all official languages also falls under the purview of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and in February The Pan South African Language Board (PANSALB) together with Minister Mthethwa held a conference today to commemorate International Mother Language Day. In recognition of the importance of this event, Hon. Mthetwa tweeted:

“Mother tongue is the true vehicle of transmission, which is fundamental to our identities, an inseparable part of our personalities and must never be lost. It should be preserved at any cost as it carries the rich cultural fabric of our existence”.

At the conference Minister Mthethwa stressed that a multilingual education based on mother tongue should be a cornerstone of the South African education system:

“Technology has a great potential to address some of the challenges in our education today. It can accelerate efforts in ensuring lifelong equitable education for the inclusion of using mother tongue in our system because multilingual education based on mother tongue should be a key component of our education system. This goal is a national one.”

THE VISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SPORT, ARTS AND CULTURE:

A creative and inclusive nation

MISSION:

Develop, preserve, protect and promote arts, culture and heritage

VALUE STATEMENT:

The DSAC is committed to the following core values based on the principles of Batho-Pele:

• Patriotism: as loyal PATRIOTS, we passionately serve South Africa and its people to build a nation.

• Ubuntu: CARE and concern for the wellbeing of our staff, customers and stakeholders is the foundation of our success.

• Creative/Innovation: in everything we do, we strive for CREATIVE/INNOVATIVE approaches.

• Integrity: in our day-to-day activities, our INTEGRITY shines through.

• Professionalism: together, we act PROFESSIONALLY to deliver value to the South African economy, its people and ourselves.

• Accountability: we are

ACCOUNTABLE to the people of South Africa in our quest to provide them with high-quality services. n