Heritage centres preserve history for future generations: Xaba

Director of Luthuli Museum Brian Xaba

2 minutes

The Director of the Luthuli Museum, Brian Xaba, has told the Pietermaritzburg High Court that they have provided investigators with sufficient material about the life and death of former African National Congress (ANC) President Chief Albert Luthuli.

Xaba was testifying before the reopened inquest into Luthuli’s death. Luthuli died in July 1967, reportedly after he was struck by a goods train.

Xaba has emphasised the importance of having heritage centres as part of preserving history for future generations.

“The relevance also becomes important because we need to keep on reminding people as to where we come from because if institutions like ours don’t exist then those that are born after us will then think that life only began when they were born and they also begin not to know that there were a lot of sacrifices that happened before and that had a lot of influence in terms of the presence that we have. I think that is where we see our role as heritage institutions, adding value to what is being done out there but also the deepening appreciation of the newly borns that they need to know more about where they come from but also that they have role models to refer to like Baba Luthuli and others he worked with.”

VIDEO | Brian Xaba, Director of the Luthuli Museum