Culture and heritage: An ever-evolving reality series

A glorious past is nothing without an exciting future – and the key to that African future, I believe, is storytelling.

Heritage celebrations and cultural milestones may come and go. Still, it is worth reflecting on what present-day culture tells us about who we are, while also offering a glimpse of who we can become.

Once these celebrations pass each year, many of us give little thought to the everyday expressions of culture we have inherited and continue to shape – from our clothing to our music and food. These elements, alongside our languages, folktales, rituals, values and belief systems, are intrinsic to our heritage. They hold a mirror to our past while simultaneously reflecting who we are right now and hinting at who we are becoming.

This is what makes South Africa – and indeed the African continent – such an exciting place in this moment. We have a history that is both ancient and expansive; after all, Africa is the birthplace of humankind. From the discovery of the fossil known as Mrs Ples in Sterkfontein, to Miriam Makeba becoming the first South African woman to win a Grammy, our influence is undeniable. You cannot write the story of the world without acknowledging Africa’s role in shaping it.

But a glorious past is nothing without an exciting future. And the key to that future, I believe, is storytelling.

Storytelling allows us to explore where we come from and to better understand the lives that came before us. In doing so, it gives us permission to imagine new identities and inspire innovation. When we tell stories about our legacy, we lay the foundations for new paths forward. By celebrating an African renaissance, we honour the possibilities being born every day across the continent.

This is why platforms that create space for African storytelling matter so deeply. Television, film and digital media are often seen as entertainment, sometimes as information – but they are also powerful reflections of the present moment. The stories that captivate us, the people who inspire us, and the cultural figures whose style, ideas and beliefs seep into everyday life all leave an imprint. Over time, they become part of our collective heritage.

Throughout my career in media and entertainment, I have seen how local content preserves and elevates popular culture. When African stories are told with authenticity and ambition, they draw from global influences while remaining rooted in our diversity, concerns and lived realities. Looking back at our past achievements gives us the confidence to reimagine our future.

As we sing and dance to the music of African artists, we pay homage to a renaissance that continues to echo through our art, fashion and sound. Designers such as Shade Thomas-Fahm and Chris Seydou helped lay the groundwork for a creative legacy that now finds expression across the world. Today, African aesthetics and textiles continue to inspire global fashion, just as African rhythms reverberate through international music charts.

Artists such as Burna Boy, Wizkid, Ayra Starr, Major League DJz and Diamond Platnumz exemplify a new global African wave – one that reflects the growing influence of Pan-Africanism through arts and culture. Their success is not an anomaly; it is the result of decades of cultural storytelling that has steadily claimed space on the world stage.

“We hear the tongue of our home with our hearts and ears.”

Language, of course, is inseparable from culture. Our experiences – from the ordinary to the extraordinary – are shaped by the words we use to describe them. Language carries emotion, memory and identity in ways that transcend translation. When we tell stories in our own languages, they resonate more deeply. In a highly globalised world, this also helps safeguard our cultures and ensure they are not diluted or lost.

In 2018, the United Nations warned that by the year 2100, more than half of the world’s languages could be extinct, with some estimates suggesting losses of over 90%. These sobering projections underline the urgency of preserving local languages as living, evolving forms of expression.

Initiatives such as dubbing globally recognised content into African languages demonstrated how representation can affirm identity, particularly for young audiences. Seeing familiar stories reflected in one’s mother tongue reinforces the idea that local languages – and by extension, local cultures – belong in global spaces.

Representation matters not only to children discovering what is possible, but to entire communities learning to see themselves as worthy of being centred. When young people encounter storytellers, presenters and creatives who look and sound like them, aspiration becomes tangible.

By reflecting our cultures back to our people, we affirm that their experiences matter. And when we invest in uncovering and nurturing local talent, we strengthen the heritage we leave behind. Empowering others to tell their own stories ensures that culture remains alive, dynamic and continuously renewed.

Our stories are the stories of our people. The most meaningful contribution we can make is to champion authentic African storytelling – stories inspired by life as it is lived across the continent today.

By telling these stories, we preserve them for future generations. In doing so, we create new dimensions of culture to be celebrated, examined and carried forward in the years to come.