Re]vitalize Khoisan Art and Culture via a Community Outreach Initiative

Abstract

During the last decade, community engagement has emerged as an important priority among many universities in South Africa. The concept of community engagement can be defined as the “collaboration between institutions of higher education and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity. The rieldans is one of the oldest forms of tradition, cultural and entertainment practices by the Khoisan as indigenous peoples of Southern Africa. This paper explores the impact of a community outreach project to [re]vitalize the rieldans as Khoisan cultural knowledge in which a community inquiry-based research approach is employed. Data were collected through oral history and focus group interviews. A way forward is plotted for the [re]vitalisation of Khoisan art and culture to advance indigenous knowledge in a democratic South Africa.