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‘This is a significant milestone for our Society and a moment of great pride for our community.’
By YASEEN BARDIEN
Salt River Heritage Society’s (SRHS) executive member Anwar Omar has been appointed to serve on the council of the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA), marking a significant moment in his career and to the Salt River community, where he was raised and has served for so long.
Omar, a founding member of SRHS in 2018, says this is a result of years of hard work and feels grateful for the nomination, believing it can serve as motivation for others and that he has been given the opportunity to have an influence at a higher level.
‘I think it’s recognising many years of work that I’ve been doing on the heritage front in Salt River through the Salt River Heritage Society.
‘It’s giving me a platform to influence policy in line with findings of my research.’
He says being a council member comes with the responsibility of preserving heritage at grassroots level but also injecting his grassroots experience into the national dialogue. He adds that he intends to uplift conservation entities in his new role.
Intangible Cultural Heritage
Omar did a dissertation titled ‘The Intersection of Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Inner-city Suburb of Salt River, Cape Town: A case study of the contestation around the adhan (Muslim call to prayer).’
He added that one of the findings he made is that our legislation does not adequately protect intangible cultural heritage. In his view, it has been a ‘neglected area’ of heritage.
Currently, it remains to be seen how his new role at SAHRA will affect his work with SRHS. However, he confirmed to Muslim Views that he will seek guidance from SAHRA on the best way forward.
Drawing from his own journey, Omar says that for those looking to enter the field as a heritage practitioner, it’s important for one to have passion, and identify a specific area instead of trying to do work on multiple fronts.
‘You first need to lay a good foundation in terms of understanding the framework within heritage. Understand the area within which you’re operating. You can’t do everything for everyone, and you have to have an area of focus.’
Following Omar’s appointment, the SRHS congratulated Omar on his new role, as well as what it means for the Salt River community.
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‘This is a significant milestone for our Society and a moment of great pride for our community. Although we are a small organisation, this achievement affirms the value and impact of the work we do in preserving, protecting, and promoting our heritage.
‘We congratulate Anwar Omar on this well-deserved appointment and look forward to the important work ahead.’
Waseela Everson-Laattoe, secretary general for SRHS, emphasised Omar’s passion for heritage as well as his love for guiding the younger generation.
‘He is passionate about heritage,’ Laattoe told Muslim Views.
‘He tackles every project with gusto, and he always delivers high quality results. He is quite committed to mentoring and transferring his knowledge to younger people and he is dedicated to building the next generation.’
Omar’s journey shows that with dedication and hard work, individuals can make a lasting difference in their communities.
