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By definition, heritage is an individual’s set of traditions, belief systems, values, and cultural practices. 

Admittedly, this is an oversimplified definition. 

Our interaction with cultural heritage has undergone transformation partly because of the spread of digital media.

In addition, as the world grows more globalized and connected, our understanding and attitude towards culture and heritage shape our worldview. Therefore, our relationship with heritage continues to evolve. This phenomenon affects how people from various cultures interact with their heritage.

Culture is an incredible resource for the identity, cohesion and progression of communities. And in today’s interdependent world, it can be a powerful ally in transforming communities and the people who live in them. 

The maturity of the digital space makes the world smaller. Even the most distant cultures and people become accessible. For example, in high school, in the halls of university, and in the workplace – we interact with people from different cultures than our own.

Because of this, it’s important to develop soft skills that will allow you to interact with people from all walks of life.

We asked Career Wise writers to share their experiences with culture and heritage. Check out what they had to say:

Zipho Majova: Heritage encourages us to look at our education from multiple perspectives

Growing up in a conservative black Christian Xhosa family and having had the opportunity to attend one of the leading higher education institutions on the African continent, but most importantly, a secular university, I’ve had to learn to marry these two polarized worlds. Attending a university that attracts a substantial amount of international students from various cultures and religions – I now understand and appreciate the importance of cultural preservation. Being exposed to other nationalities at a greater level forced me to confront my own internalized stereotypes and taught me about tolerance and acceptance.

The key takeaway: growing up in a cocooned environment or culturally homogenous background, almost cost me the value of learning and being open to learning from multiple perspectives. This limits our ability to collaborate, solve unusual problems and, in some situations, can be harmful – particularly in institutions of higher learning and the workplace. In other words, the more we neglect cultural preservation, the less flexible our world becomes. When we are ignorant of the importance of cultural preservation, our thinking narrows.

Themba ‘Jay’ Ndlangmandla: a culturally diverse township taught me a few languages, and to connect with people from diverse backgrounds.

I grew up in a township called Orange Farm, in the south of Johannesburg. Both my parents were born and raised in Kwa-Zulu Natal. This makes me a pure IsiZulu speaking individual. 

The folks moved to Jo’burg to seek better work opportunities as soon as they could travel under the apartheid laws that governed South Africa in the 1980’s.

That’s how I had the opportunity to grow up amongst neighbours from different cultures. I remember that by age seven I could speak bits of Sesotho because a friend taught me the basics. Today, as an adult, I can also write the language because of those childhood experiences.

Two houses further from my Sesotho speaking mogotsi (friend), there was a Xitsonga family we were close with. Yet another language to understand — a win for my linguistic and communication abilities. (In high school, I befriended Xhosa people and eventually became fluent in the language.)

In retrospect, the love for languages sprang from the people I grew up around. It was a mixture of almost all ethnicities in one neighbourhood — and we interacted with each other. It was like an exchange program.

After high school, I did college in Sandton (further north of Johannesburg this go-round). I was out of my depth in the first year. I met people from all over South Africa, and abroad. There were students who came from private high schools. They spoke and behaved rather differently than the kids like me from township schools. 

For one, they were articulate, never feared speaking up during class discussions, and they displayed more confidence.

The experience was a culture shock that jolted me awake. It made me re-evaluate my writing and speaking skills (I was doing a media studies diploma). My confidence levels plummeted during the first few months in that once intimidating space. However, it was a good opportunity to strengthen my self-esteem, refine my English, learn to collaborate and showcase my skills in a different environment.

The whole experience was a vivid preview of the workplace a few years later.

Over the years, the key takeaways have been:

• A variety in thinking, beliefs, ideals and actions enriches the thought process of all people involved.
• Diversity is a good habit to build. On a personal level and for teams of all sizes and types (family, school, work, etc.)

What eventually becomes of our stories and traditions as the world constantly evolves?

Every single person has a way in which they identify themselves.

This plays out in various ways, namely:

• In how people talk
• Their dress sense (traditional regalia or any other)
• In how they prepare their food
• The values and beliefs they live by (such as traditions that inform cultural practices)
• How they raise and nurture children
• How they interact with each other as a community

Fun fact: even if you have a wish to free yourself from carrying any identity at all, you’ve still chosen to identify yourself.

And as the digital age continues to mature, it’s important to self-reflect on the evolution of culture and identity in our lives.

For example, communities used to gather around the fire to share stories about their tribe. Fast-forward to the connected economy, stories are shared with global audiences in a matter of seconds.

This one change – moving from local communication to global sources of information and acquaintances – informs how we:

• Talk
• Wear our clothes
• Prepare our food
• Think about the values and beliefs that our ancestors lived by
• Raise and nurture our children
• Interact with each other as a tribe

Wait a sec, let’s define + differentiate heritage and culture

The two concepts appear identical at a glance as they are often used interchangeably. But these are different ideas that highlight related, yet distinct notions.

Heritage means the passing of culture, traditions and values from previous generations. It is a crucial part of identity formation and a great way to foster individual and societal growth.

Culture is the daily life of a specific group of people and their unique characteristics. Example: language, behaviour, food, music and art, social habits, beliefs, values and other characteristics that express their lifestyle.

The value of heritage in our families, learning institutions, and workplace

Heritage, culture and identity are fluid concepts. As such, they form part of our lives in all the environments that we occupy. And because of this, it’s not helpful to restrict them to one interpretation.

For example, culture can also be defined as collective human beliefs with a well-thought-out structure customized to a certain tribe or era.

It is worth noting that the following sections within our communities play an important role in the development of career-wise professionals and their success.

Let’s take a look.

The Family

Our heritage is a legacy from our past.

Because of that, it is an important module in the process of identity formation. It is an essential tool for human development.

Cultural heritage is a necessity for all communities because it serves as a record of history. A documented set of traditions and ideas for living across generations. Plus it’s a unique and rich source of creativity, healthy self-esteem and tight-knit family structures.

Inside the family structure, heritage and culture influence our identity and give us the values that serve as signposts to navigate a world that constantly reshuffles how it operates.

Learning Institutions

Globalization continues to influence how societies communicate, organize and live.

That’s why it makes business sense for tertiary institutions to enroll and educate a wide array of students from different backgrounds.

Besides a favourable reputation, it’s important for the following reasons:

1. Campus diversity inspires open mindedness and challenges stereotypes.
2. It pulls students out of their comfort zones. To live comfortably with different personalities demands a perspective that looks at human differences as a multiplier, not a setback.
3. Diversity enriches the academic experience. Students simultaneously prepare themselves for diverse workplaces.

The Workplace

It makes business sense to recruit and collaborate with different types of people at work.

It’s important for the following reasons:

1. It’s an opportunity to interact with different worldviews. A glorious occasion to learn from people from all walks of life.

2. Informed decision-making. This requires an attitude that sees opposing perspectives as an advantage, not a barrier.

3. Quicker solutions to challenges; different world-views can produce a richer knowledge base than the collaboration of like-minded people.

In a world where Millennials and Gen-Z explore their heritage while on the edge of innovation, live in a more connected/transient world and have to figure out their identity within a global village, some of the best ways to succeed at this are to keep the following points in mind:

• Heritage is a key part of identity formation and a great method to foster individual and societal growth.
• Heritage and cultural norms can be passed on amongst different generations, for time immemorial.
• It’s also a phenomenal cultural process; a transition that has an enduring power to influence the present generation and the ones that follow.
• Plus… with the digital and communication capabilities that the current generation has in its collective pocket, the possibilities to study, archive, continually iterate and share information around our heritage, culture and identity with future generations are endless!

Millennials are generally an open-minded, technological, innovative, and creative generation. However, for the millennials and gen-z, it is undeniable that the impact of economic, political and health crises experienced in the past few years has led to much loss: the loss of employment and loss of wellness. And above these losses, many fear that millennials and gen-z have also lost the attachment towards traditional heritage and pride in the preservation of history. The concern is that young citizens are left with no option but to transform their lives and focus on sustaining and adapting to the current living conditions, thus being disengaged with the preservation of cultural heritage.

Millennials and gen-z – although they are different age groups, for this piece, we will be using the terms interchangeably. It is considered that the members of the same age cohorts have similar behavior, opinions and way of making decisions. The reason is that they are born in the same period and besides the years they have shared their life events through time. They existed in a certain period in cultural history –shared important social and cultural events which acted on their behavior, thereby sharing views and worldviews. As a result, millennials tend to have the same disposition and attitude towards heritage celebrations.

Contrary to the popular conversation, the question is not whether millennials view traditional heritage as obsolete, but rather the possibility of revising traditional norms to fit the modern age. Research has proven that millennials are interested in engaging with history and culture, just in a different manner. Be it music, food, fashion, arts and crafts or even hanging at our local spots. According to Millennial Research Report, Millennials relate to the cause but are not necessarily active in the preservation of history.

When it comes to heritage, we need to determine ways to position historic preservation in a way that speaks to Millennials and motivates them to engage. We need to take a look at some of the behavioral, social, and psychological characteristics.

Is it possible to revise traditional norms to fit the modern age?

The millennial era is not a threat, but instead, it opens a big path for the millennial generation to explore heritage: creative talents of design, performing arts, production, and authorship, combined with media production, distribution technique, and new interactive technology.

Authenticity

Authentic Experiences matter: as we approach Heritage Day, what does this mean? Many think that experiences: museums, food, clothing, and gatherings need to be complex to engage young people. More than anything else, millennials desire authenticity. They want to learn, but all the better if it’s for a social purpose and has the relatability factor. As previously mentioned, millennials relate to the cause. Yes, being regarded as cool by peers, posting and hashtags are important, as long as a compelling story is engagingly told, all are equally interesting in the eyes of the millennial.

Manipulating artifacts, the millennial way

The usage of the target market and insight to craft and transform user experience is nothing new. It’s important for users to be able to ask what’s important that will make the experience relatable to the millennial. For instance, when it comes to the Xhosa traditional gear known as umbhaco – we see a lot of designers creating umbhaco but adding modern twists such as lace, and feathers to give it the modern “edge”. At the core, it is still umbhaco with just a modern flare to it.

Technology

Millennials – immersed in the digital era and living in a past faced world, technology is probably the best way to connect to young people. Heritage brands should adopt a layered approach to their digital strategy – making use of available technology to enhance rather than mask the heritage essence of artifacts. Doing so will ensure heritage artifacts can attract new audiences (millennials, gen-z) without alienating existing ones (older generation such as baby boomers).

Innovation

Millennials are perceptive of global issues, and with their skills in utilizing technology, they can lead innovation in the creative industry based on cultural heritage and in the attempt to build “postmodern” cultural heritage.

Conclusion

Perhaps the concept of preservation of heritage should not be a ‘protectionist’ one but rather it should be seen as an integrated concept for the revitalization and development of culture – which is where millennials and gen-z come in. How can we celebrate heritage in a way that speaks to the older generation but does not alienate the young people of today?