heritagelatest news & developments
Spirit leader: Zawadi Yamungu.

Zawadi Yamungu: The African Dramaturg

Blending jazz, folk and indigenous instrumentation, Zawadi crafts a sound that reconnects audiences to heritage while confronting the politics of the present

Albert Mazibuko, a member of the legendary group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, passed away on Sunday 5 April aged 77. Photo: Facebook.

Albert Mazibuko and the echoes of isicathamiya

As South Africa mourns Albert Mazibuko, his life reveals the deep intersections between music, memory, displacement, and the resilience of black cultural expression.

Reclaiming heritage: Koketso Mohlala crafts and walks with her Pedi heritage unapologetically intact, shining
a light on Africa’s pride and beauty through Ditsala Designs. Photos: Supplied

Bold. African. Unapologetic.

Koketso Mohlala challenges Western beauty standards and shines a global spotlight on authentic African craftsmanship

Strumming: Pops Mohamed playing the kora. The globally renowned South African musician died on 4
December 2025, just days before his 76th birthday. Photo: Siphiwe Mhlambi

Remembering Pops Mohamed

Tributes pour in for the multi-instrumentalist who blended African traditions with modern sounds

Pearl Thusi is an ever-evolving creative force stepping into a powerful musical rebirth where her sound
becomes a picture and her story finds new voice. Photo: Supplied

Pearl Thusi: A daughter’s offering

A cinematic Afrosoul offering, Sodwa captures Pearl Thusi’s journey into music through nostalgia, collaboration and deep emotional clarity

The protagonist Mkhondwana, portrayed by Thembekile Komani.
Photo: Mzansi Magic

A love letter to AmaMpondo

Mpondoland brings the rich history, spirituality and resilience of AmaPondo to screen, exploring identity, community and the fight for economic freedom

Dr Sipho Sithole

From Umlazi to Washington DC: Dr. Sipho Sithole’s journey of teaching isiZulu abroad

At Howard University, Dr. Sipho Sithole is reshaping global perspectives on Zulu culture — one classroom, conversation, and cultural exchange at a tim

Yanga Chief , Mbuso Khoza, Zoe Modiga and Culoe De Song during Castle Milk Stout Songs To Savour dinner at Origins Centre Wits University at Braamfontein

Zoë Modiga, Yanga Chief, Culoe De Song, Nduduzo Makhathini and Mbuso Khoza join forces to preserve heritage through song

As South Africans prepare for the year-end, filled with traditional ceremonies and family gatherings, many young adults often feel uncertain about the songs that carry their heritage. To help address this gap, Castle Milk Stout has joined forces with Zoë Modiga, Yanga Chief, Culoe De Song, Nduduzo Makhathini, and Mbuso Khoza to raise awareness of […]

Sepedi poet and cultural worker Moses Seletisa

Speaking in tongues: The literary revolution rooted in Sepedi and Setswana

The quiet power of Moses Seletisa’s Sepedi poetry and Sabata Mokae’s Setswana novels

Xitsonga is one of South Africa’s 12 Languages. Photo: File

Heritage: Language a powerful thread that connects the past with the future we want

Together, heritage and language remind us that by choosing multilingualism, we can build a truly inclusive future

On the right page: Children’s book author and executive director of Nal’ibali, Lorato Trok. Photo: Supplied

Lorato Trok: Writing our languages back into the story

Author speaks of her dedication to keeping indigenous languages alive through children’s books and her hopes for the growth of South African languages

The Dutch arrived in the Cape to set up a refreshment station. Photo: File

A history of Africa’s post-Pleistocene productivity: A benefit, or a curse?

Africa’s rich history, beginning with adaptable hunter-gatherers, highlights its resilience, productivity and the importance of reclaiming its heritage

Runaway success: Gert-Johan Coetzee’s The Arrival collection at the opening of the South Africa Spring/Summer collections, which took to the runway on 24 April at in Johannesburg’s Hyde Park.

Gert-Johan Coetzee: The return of the self

The designer’s The Arrival opens South Africa Fashion Week, proving that fashion can be both a mirror and a vessel

Confrontation, by Phoka Nyokong. (Photo supplied)

Phoka Nyokong and the fight for Africa’s stolen artefacts

The artist’s exhibition challenges colonial looting and the fight to reclaim Africa’s stolen cultural heritage

As Africans, it is our duty to preserve and protect our surnames, especially in an age of globalisation, where the African renaissance offers hope for unity, peace and sustainable development.

Surnames preserve and conserve African culture and heritage

Traditional names tell stories, full of cultural significance and indigenous knowledge, passed down through the ages

The data from research centre Intelpoint suggests the majority of the population aged 15 years and older possesses basic reading and writing skills.

Bringing heritage into schools can boost SA’s literacy efforts

Stories from our rich heritage provide teachers with an affordable, accessible way to improve literacy levels, teaching children to read in their home language

Inherited traditional food: Maize meal (above) is a staple in Southern Africa. Photo by: Marc Hoberman/Hoberman Collection/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Food, power and identity: A colonial and culinary heritage

Specific foods and recipes are associated with specific countries and also traditions, but as people have moved so have these foods