As a testament to its ongoing quest to preserve and celebrate African culture and spirituality, Castle Milk Stout has made the circle bigger by extending an invite to Chapter 9 institutions, the National House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders, and government departments to celebrate this year’s edition of Ancestor’s Day on May 8, and to amplify calls for the government to officially recognise this day as a religious holiday.
As part of Castle Milk Stout’s ongoing campaign for the official recognition of Ancestor’s Day, the brand has invited the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious, and Linguistic Communities, the National House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders, Department of Cooperative Governance & Traditional Affairs (COGTA) and the National Heritage Council South Africa to partake in an imbizo on May 8 where all the parties will discuss the importance of the commemoration of Ancestor’s Day, and what will be required to have this important day recognised.
The symposium will also serve as the 2023 commemoration of Ancestor’s Day following the inaugural celebration of the day which was held in partnership with the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (CONTRALESA), Kgosi Milton Seatloholo, Chairperson of The National House of Traditional & Khoisan Leaders, Director of Arts & Youth Development from the Department of Arts and Culture, Mr. Moleleki Ledimo and various stakeholders. It was in 2021 that the public was invited to demonstrate their support for the official recognition of Ancestor’s Day by signing a petition on www.castlemilkstout.co.za.
“Castle Milk Stout is proud to be at the forefront of this quest of reawakening the African giant. We are pleased that through our brand, millions of Africans out there can savour the richness of Africa, hold their heads, and brim with pride to be called: Africans. We call upon those who share our vision for the official recognition of Ancestor’s Day to sign a petition on www.castlemilkstout.co.za.” says Khwezi Vika: Marketing Manager, Castle Milk Stout.
Over the past few years, Castle Milk Stout has been at the forefront of lobbying the government to grant official recognition to Ancestor’s Day. To that end, the brand has embarked on various activities with like-minded stakeholders to put this issue in the President’s line of sight. These activations created platforms for public discourse on African culture and spirituality, fostered collaboration with leading musicians to celebrate indigenous culture in song and dance, and forged partnerships with custodians of African culture and heritage to mark and celebrate this important day.
To keep the talkability of Ancestor’s Day top of mind in the public domain, Castle Milk Stout also introduced an initiative fittingly called: One for the Ancestors. This campaign created platforms for thought-provoking conversations on African spirituality and ancestry and allowed participants and the public at large to interrogate the importance of African spirituality, and the role it plays in our lives and discuss why our heritage is not accorded the same recognition as other religious holidays.
Castle Milk Stout harnessed the power of music to celebrate and preserve African culture when it launched both Clan Beats and its sequel Clan Beats 2.0. The centrepiece of Clan Beats 2.0 was the launch of the song KoMama, an original released by Madala in 2019, which was later remixed by Muzi in 2020. These campaigns also culminated in the aptly named Clan Beats “Extended Play” (EP) which is a compilation of stories that showcased how Africa’s heritage is celebrated through the personal journeys of South Africa’s finest artists, namely: Sho Madjozi, KB Motsilanyane, Sjava, and Thandiswa Mazwai, whose smoothly brewed vocals make for the perfect accompaniment to the voices of praise singers, Dr. Sithole, Stoan Seate, Madala Kunene and Zolani Mkiva.
“The commemoration of Ancestor’s Day forms an important chapter in our quest to proactively preserve and unashamedly celebrate African culture. As Africans, recognising and acknowledging those who came before us is an integral part of who we are. In as much as other religious holidays are observed, it is also fitting that in a post-apartheid dispensation, we also celebrate African Spirituality which is indigenous to this continent and practised by millions of people.
“As a brand that has relentlessly implored South Africans to re-discover and celebrate their African heritage, we pledge to continue to work in concert with like-minded partners to achieve a society where African culture is celebrated and embraced, and where our African heritage takes pride of place in the kaleidoscopic fabric of our rainbow nation,” Vika concludes.
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