“Young people should follow the traditions of society,” said Dr Mathole Motshega when he addressed young people at Matsila a fortnight ago.

Motshega is the chairperson of Kara Heritage Institute.

He said the government was serious about restoring culture and indigenous knowledge. He commended Chief Livhuwani Matsila for the initiative of reviving culture through traditional dances.

Motshega added that there was a need to teach young children about the value of culture and the importance of restoring it. "Culture and tradition are the foundation on which the prosperity for each nation starts. A nation that does not respect its culture is doomed and does not have any direction."  He said that scientists considered Africa as the cradle of the human race and therefore “no matter if you are white or black, you are human, and your roots go back to Africa,” he said.

He appealed to the youth to respect elderly people and stated that Africans must be proud of themselves, their culture and traditions. He stressed the fact that immorality is the enemy of traditional leaders since people have moved away from good morals.

Chief Livhuwani Matsila said that, with an African style of living, there would be no street kids, hobos or hunger. “We must start practising our culture of being proud, so that our children will grow up knowing their identity,” he said. He outlined that, in a democratic country like South Africa, no culture is inferior to another, that all cultures are equal. Matsila criticised parents who are not teaching their children their own vernacular.

Mukondi Musetha, one of the children who attended the event, said some thought traditions were archaic and no longer relevant.