BY RORISANG RAMPHETENG:
The BFN Golden Masters (BGM) Luncheon Club hosted its Vintage and Heritage Day at the Outdoor Centre on Thursday, 24 September, bringing parents, grandparents, community organisations and young people together to celebrate heritage and raise funds for its community programmes.
According to BGM Luncheon Club representative, Neo “Happy” Moleyane, the event was aimed at honouring older generations while supporting the organisation’s community initiatives. “Our purpose was to honour our Legends and to sustain our organisation. We hosted Vintage & Heritage Day at Outdoor Centre as a pure fundraising and unity celebration for BGM Luncheon Club,” Moleyane said.
He said the event provided an opportunity for different organisations and members of the community to come together and celebrate their shared heritage.
The funds raised will support programmes focused on soccer, food security, Legends 60 years and above, women’s empowerment and disability inclusion.
Moleyane said the focus on parents and grandparents was guided by the organisation’s motto, “No Youth Left Behind, No Elder Forgotten”.
“Parents and grandparents are our living libraries. They hold language, clan praises, traditional food recipes, vintage fashion, values and history. They teach Ubuntu, respect and resilience,” he said.
The programme included a vintage fashion parade led by Legends 60 years and above, traditional food sharing, storytelling and oral history sessions about the history of Bloemfontein, Mangaung and the Outdoor Centre. The event also included tributes to soccer legends, spiritual blessings, an inclusion segment involving non-profit organisations and disability centres, as well as music, drumming and intergenerational dancing.
Moleyane said the activities allowed participants to learn about heritage through practical experiences. “All activities were hands-on learning by wearing, tasting, listening and dancing together,” he said.
He said elders also highlighted the importance of passing cultural knowledge to younger generations. “They told us that ‘if we die without sharing, our village dies twice,’” Moleyane said.
The elders encouraged young people to speak their mother tongues, prepare traditional food and take pride in their heritage. Moleyane added that traditional skills could also contribute to people’s livelihoods. “They said heritage skills are survival skills — gardening, sewing, cooking and storytelling can create livelihoods,” he said.
The BGM Luncheon Club hopes the event will encourage young people to take responsibility for preserving their heritage and promote unity within the community. “We hope youth take away pride in who they are, responsibility to carry heritage forward, and unity beyond politics and wards,” Moleyane said.
He confirmed that the Vintage and Heritage Day will become an annual event at the Outdoor Centre. “Vintage & Heritage Day will be annual at Outdoor Centre,” he said.
The club thanked the Department of Sports, community leaders, the Club’s Life President, spiritual leaders, non-profit organisations and disability centres for their contributions to the event.- @NewsSA_Online
Follow us on our social media platforms below: