You are cordially invited to attend a Heritage Month Seminar, presented by Unathi Funde.
Topic: Spilling the Tea: The Construction of Rooibos as Heritage.
About the speaker:
Unathi Funde is an Assistant Lecturer in the Unit for Academic Literacy and a consultant at the Humanities Writing Centre at the University of Pretoria, where she is also completing her PhD. Her work engages critically with heritage and historical memory in South Africa, with a focus on understudied aspects of South African life.
Abstract:
In the last 30 years rooibos has transitioned from a local tea or infusion to a globally marketed commodity. During this transformation, rooibos has become embedded in South African heritage discourses through its association with natural heritage in the Cape Floral Kingdom and its symbolic ties to diverse South African identities. This paper traces the multilayered construction of rooibos as heritage, revealing a site of contestation between heritage, nature and commodification. It considers how commercial interests intersect with claims of historical and cultural ownership, and how heritage narratives can be strategically mobilised to legitimise economic agendas.
For more information, kindly contact Kutlwano Dilotsotlhe.