Elaine Browne.pdf - Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University

(Wanyama 2006, 24). In this regard, Delport (2006, 2‐44) however warns that the core purpose
of multicultural arts education in South Africa should not be “to solve South Africa’s national or
inter‐ethnic political and social problems”. It should rather be to enable the learner to explore
and enjoy the ‘richness and unique scope’ of South Africa’s cultures as expressed through their
arts. Nzewi (2006, 55) subsequently calls for the recognition, protection and preservation of the
cultural heritage of both the learner and the teacher, who may be from different cultural
backgrounds.
The advantage of multicultural arts education thus lies in its potential to expose learners to
cultures other than the own. Yet, in order to use this opportunity, teachers need to have
sufficient basic arts knowledge of various cultures. The only way to gain such knowledge is by
providing the arts educator with essential explanatory cultural materials. Materials need to
contain theoretical and practical foundations in arts thinking, creativity, expression and
appreciation (Nzewi 2006, 56).
It is clear from the above that in order to implement the Arts and Culture learning area
successfully, South African teachers need to be familiar with dance, drama, music and visual
arts as expressed by a range of cultures, including those inherently different to their own. Yet,
despite these significant challenges, multicultural art education has numerous advantages for
South African learners, as alluded to above.
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