HRC urges debate on cultural liberty

‘The Commission\'s perspective is that one cannot take a simplistic approach to matters like this. It goes to the very heart of how people define themselves and how we construct our identity,’ said chairman Jody Kollapen. He was responding to investigations by the SPCA following reports that Yengeni stabbed a bull with a spear before it was slaughtered for his homecoming celebrations. ‘Rather than simply using criminal law, we would urge the SPCA to engage in a public debate around the issue relating to culture and cultural liberty and... the SPCA\'s mandate to prevent cruelty to animals.’ Kollapen said the slaughter of animals by cultures in SA was an issue that needed to be dealt with in context. Cultural liberty is an important right. Full report on the IoL site

Other voices have been raised on the issue, including that of the Arts and Culture Ministry, which has accused critics of Yengeni of racism, ignorance, hypocrisy and lack of respect for African culture. ‘This is definitely not an SPCA matter, because it is not about cruelty to animals. Instead, it is about man\'s search for meaning, purpose and the redefinition of the relationship with the cosmos, God and his ancestry,’ said Sandile Memela, spokesperson for Arts and Culture Minister Pallo Jordan, according to the Cape Argus. ‘It is the constitutional right of all indigenous families and communities to perform rituals that reconnect them to their ancestors. That promotes peace of mind in their lives. The department upholds this right, including that of the Yengeni family, to practise their own cultural rituals,’ he said. ANC provincial secretary Mcebisi Skwatsha also jumped to the Yengeni family\'s defence: ‘The SPCA is very, very insensitive to the culture of African people. It\'s very, very important. It\'s fundamental to your being. We African people will practise our culture and no one under the sun will ever stop us. This is part of our being human,’ he said. Full Cape Argus report