CULTURAL HERITAGE EVENTS: A CASE STUDY OF THE ATKV RIELDANS COMPETITION IN SOUTH AFRICA by HYLTON HOWARD ARNOLDS submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in the subject GEOGRAPHY at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: MRS AE DE JAGER September 2016 i DECLARATION I hereby declare that this dissertation, entitled Cultural heritage events:- a case study of the ATKV Rieldans Competition in South Africa, which I hereby submit for the degree of Master of Science, at the University of South Africa, is my own work and has not previously been submitted by me for a degree at this or any other institution. I declare that this dissertation does not contain any written work presented by other persons whether written, pictures, graphs or data or any other information without acknowledging the source. I declare that where words from a written source have been used, the words have been paraphrased and referenced, and where exact words from a source have been used, the words have been placed inside quotation marks and referenced. I declare that I have not copied and pasted any information from the internet, without specifically acknowledging the source, and have inserted appropriate references to these sources in the reference section of the dissertation. I declare that during my study, I adhered to the Research Ethics Policy of the University of South Africa, received ethics approval for the duration of my study prior to the commencement of data collection, and have not acted outside the approval conditions. I declare that the content of my dissertation has been subjected to an electronic plagiarism detection program before the final submission for examination. Student signature: Date: 24 September 2016 Hylton Howard Arnolds ii DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to the riel dance community and the cultural heritage of the Coloured people of South Africa. iii ABSTRACT Cultural heritage events as a tourism product have increased in recent years, both globally and in South Africa. Within the sphere of cultural heritage tourism, people construct and present their heritage and traditions to tourists in a reconstructed setting. To the visitors and people who are directly involved with the planning of the event, a sense of belonging and group identity are experienced by linking the present to the past in a celebratory mood. The annual ‘Afrikaanse Taal en Kultuurvereniging’ (ATKV) Riel Dance Competition in South Africa is an example of such an event, which celebrates a threatened cultural heritage in the form of a competition. The idea of a dance competition in order to preserve cultural heritage started in response to a feeling of marginalisation of culture among certain segments of the Coloured community of South Africa after the establishment of democracy in 1994. This dissertation used the constructivist- interpretivist approach in geographical enquiry to explain the role of cultural heritage events. Multiple sources of evidence and information were used in this study, including focus group interviews, observations, audio-visual materials, questionnaires and participant observation. The participants and visitors alike felt that the ATKV Riel Dance Competition serves an important role in preserving and protecting the cultural heritage of the Coloured community. The competition played a role in fulfilling the need of a large percentage of its participants and visitors for a group identity. There was no significant financial benefit for the communities who participated in the ATKV Riel Dance Competition. However, on a political level the competition played an important role in nation-building and cultural expression in South Africa. KEYWORDS Tourism; events; heritage; culture; dance; riel dance; rieldans; festival; competition; rural; Coloured. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank the following people and institutions who have contributed to what has become a unique experience in my life: - My supervisor, Anna Elizabeth de Jager, for her ongoing support, guidance, generous time and invaluable advice. I can never thank her enough. - The University of South Africa, for providing financial support (The views expressed in the dissertation are those of the author and do not reflect those of the University). - To my wife, Chantelle Lindy Arnolds, for her support and sacrifice. - To all my family for your support, encouragement and continuous interest in my progress. - The Department of Geography at Unisa. - Laura Steyn, for compiling the maps. - The completion of the dissertation would not have been possible without the participants of the ATKV Riel Dance Competition. Thank you to all the dance groups who participated in the focus group sessions and completed the questionnaires. I appreciate your insights and enthusiasm. - Thank you to the event organisers of the competition, and especially to the project manager, Elias Nel. - Thank you to all the visitors who completed questionnaires for the study, I am extremely grateful for your inputs. - My sincerest appreciation goes to Imran Allie, Jacquelyn Claus and Shihaam Matthews, for the time they spent proof-reading this dissertation. - Leanne Brown, for the final editing of this dissertation. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DECLARATION i DEDICATION ii ABSTRACT iii KEYWORDS iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv TABLE OF CONTENTS v ANNEXURES xii LIST OF FIGURES xiii LIST OF TABLES xvii LIST OF MAPS xviii LIST OF PLATES xix GLOSSARY xx CHAPTER 1: PURPOSE, BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT OF THE STUDY 1.1. Introduction 1 1.2. Problem identification and problem statement 2 1.3. Study Area of the ATKV Riel Dance Competition 4 1.4. Aim, objectives and research question 5 vi 1.5. Main research question: To what extent can the ATKV Riel Dance Competition be used to promote tourism and advance cultural heritage amongst rural Coloured communities in South Africa? 5 1.6. Methodology 7 1.6.1. Qualitative research 9 1.6.2. Ethnographic research 9 1.6.3. Historical studies and narrative analyses 10 1.6.4. Visual material 10 1.6.5. Interviews 11 1.6.5.1. One on one interviews 11 1.6.5.2. Focus group interviews 12 1.6.5.3. Open-ended structured questionnaires 14 1.7. Compiling the findings and conclusions of the case study 15 1.8. Conclusion 16 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW: CONTEXTUALISING CULTURE, HERITAGE, TOURISM AND EVENTS 2.1. Introduction 17 2.2. Understanding culture and heritage 18 2.3. The developing South African tourism sector 19 2.4. South African legislation for tourism development 20 vii 2.4.1. Cultural tourism 22 2.4.2. Heritage tourism 23 2.4.3. Rural tourism 24 2.4.4. Route tourism 26 2.4.5. Community-based tourism 27 2.4.6. Events tourism 27 2.5. Overview of the cultural heritage events sector in South Africa 29 2.6. Events management 34 2.7. Functions and benefits of tourism events for communities 37 2.8. Authenticity and commodification of cultural heritage 39 2.9. Conclusion 42 CHAPTER 3: THE ‘AFRIKAANSE TAAL EN KULTUURVERENIGING’ (ATKV) RIEL DANCE COMPETITION AS A TOURISM EVENT 3.1. Introduction 43 3.2. The ‘Afrikaanse Taal en Kultuurvereniging’ (ATKV) 43 3.3. The riel dance of South Africa 44 3.4. The ATKV Riel Dance Competition 48 3.4.1. Participants: dance groups, musicians and songwriters 51 3.4.2. The visitors 54 viii 3.4.3. Adjudicating and prize-giving 54 3.4.4. The media personalities 57 3.4.5. The businesses and sponsors 57 3.5. Marketing the ATKV Riel Dance Competition 58 3.6. The media and the ATKV Riel Dance Competition 59 3.6.1. The riel dance competition in the printed media 60 3.6.2. Radio broadcasting of the riel dance competition 60 3.6.3. Social media and the riel dance competition 61 3.7. Conclusion 63 CHAPTER 4: THE MEANING OF THE RIEL DANCE COMPETITION FOR JUNIOR PARTICIPANTS 4.1. Introduction 64 4.2. Overview of the focus groups 64 4.2.1. Bitterfontein Junior Riel Dancers 66 4.2.2. Calvinia Sitstappers Riel Dancers 67 4.2.3. Betjiesfontein Junior Riel Dancers 69 4.2.4. The Nuwe Graskoue Trappers Junior Riel Dancers 71 4.2.5. Mighty Angels Junior Riel Dancers 72 4.2.6. Korbeel Junior Riel Dancers 74 ix 4.3. Focus group discussion 76 4.3.1. Where and when did you first hear about the riel dance and the group? 76 4.3.2. What do you know about the history of the riel dance? 78 4.3.3. Are you not shy to do an old-style dance and dress up in old-style clothes? 79 4.3.4. Why do you partake in the competition and what does it mean to you? 80 4.3.5. How does it make you feel that you are preserving your cultural heritage? 83 4.3.6. What are your concerns and what would you like the ATKV to improve on? 84 4.4. Conclusion 88 CHAPTER 5: THE MEANING OF THE EVENT ACCORDING TO SENIOR PARTICIPANTS 5.1. Introduction 89 5.2. Data collection from the questionnaires issued to participants 89 5.3. Analyses and interpretation of the data collected 108 5.3.1. Demographic aspects impacting on the meaning of the event 108 5.3.2. Social aspects impacting on the meaning of the event 109 5.3.3. Cultural/ historical/ heritage aspects impacting on the meaning of the event 109 5.3.4. Political aspects impacting on the meaning of the event 109 5.3.5. Economic aspects impacting on the meaning of the event 109 5.3.6. Environmental aspects impacting on the meaning of the event 110 x 5.4. Conclusion 110 CHAPTER 6: THE MEANING OF THE EVENT ACCORDING TO THE VISITOR QUESTIONNAIRE 6.1. Introduction 111 6.2. Data collection from the questionnaire issued to visitors 111 6.3.