People without a memory cannot chart their past to the future, acting president Dr Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri said yesterday during Heritage Day cele- brations.

People without a memory cannot chart their past to the future, acting president Dr Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri said yesterday during Heritage Day cele- brations.

"Poetry plays a significant role in the restoration of the memory of a nation," Matsepe-Casaburri, who was addressing thousands of people at Botshabelo in Free State, said.

The crowd had gathered to enjoy a day of music and poetry under the national heritage theme, "Celebrating Our Poetry".

In a speech featuring four poems, Matsepe-Casaburri said South Africa's collective memory was an integral part of its living heritage.

She said people without an awareness of where they had come from could not be in a position to reclaim their history.

Matsepe-Casaburri commended the Department of Arts and Culture for its commitment to promoting a culture of reading and writing and the development of all South African languages.

"Thus the celebration of our poetry resonates with the initiative by the department to reclaim and revitalise our indigenous languages and literature, in both the oral and written forms." She honoured poets in South Africa and Africa for the important role they played in the past.

Artists, including Danny K and Freshly Ground, entertained the crowd. - Sapa