MAKE THE MOST OF HERITAGE DAY
Why this, why now?
Heritage Day is one of the best days on the South African calendar. People dress up. The office looks completely different for once. Someone brings their gogo's recipe. There are photos, there is music, there is food, and for one day the building actually looks like the country.
We love it. This is not a page telling you to stop having fun on the 24th.
Here is the thing though. In most workplaces the day ends at the food. The plates get cleared, the photos go into the newsletter, and the conversation people were half having in the lunch queue never quite happens. All of that goodwill in the room, and nothing to hold onto on Monday.
This year that feels like a waste
It has been a heavy year. Money is tight at home. Corruption keeps showing up in the news. Racism has not gone anywhere. The xenophobic violence of the past few months has frightened people and raised a very real question about who we think belongs here. And by September, most of us are just tired.
Which is exactly why a day about who we are is worth more this year, not less. It also lands at a smart time in the calendar. Late enough that people are honest, early enough that something can still shift before December.
What we do with it
We use the day as a starting point rather than an event.
These are warm rooms. Nobody comes to work wanting an argument, and we do not design sessions that produce one. The talks are a celebration with some good questions inside them. The workshops go deeper, because a team that has three and a half hours together can get further than a team that has ninety minutes.
We have spent years running exactly these conversations, here and internationally. What we bring is the skill to hold a room where people can say the real thing without it turning into a fight. That comes from good design, not luck.
What your people leave with
Colleagues they know better than they did that morning. A bit more freedom to say what they need to say to do their best work. And a sense of how their day job connects to the bigger project of a country that holds together.
It is about relationships more than it is about policy. That is the whole point. Cohesion is not something you roll out. It is what happens once people have finally had the conversation.
The Options
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90 minutes | Keynote format | Suits 20 to 200 people
An informative and inspiring session that celebrates and interrogates South Africa's heritage. Choose one of three themes:
Faith and hope in difficult times. A reflection on hope as a survival mechanism, and a more critical look at how hope gets mobilised into action and better social outcomes.
Leaning on heritage for authenticity. Heritage as a guide for showing up proudly as ourselves, while making space for others to do the same.
The joy of working within a diverse cultural heritage. How the best values of our diverse South African cultures offer a blueprint for treating each other with humanity and dignity.
Best for: Heritage Day events, all staff gatherings, leadership offsites.
From R23 000
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3.5 hours | Facilitated and participatory | Suits 12 to 40 people
A deeper dive where participants are informed and inspired, and also leave with useful workplace skills. Choose one of three:
Working with cultural diversity. The challenges and the benefits of cultural diversity at work, and how it strengthens professional environments.
Psychological safety and unconscious bias. What's really going on beneath the surface in diverse workplaces, and what it actually takes to build a team where people feel safe speaking up.
Generational diversity. The gaps and the opportunities between generations at work, and how to build bridges toward real cooperation.
Best for: intact teams, people and culture functions, leadership groups.
From R43 000
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Three workshops | Designed with you | September to October 2026
In consultation with you we design a series that meets your specific cultural or soft skill development needs, using South Africa's cultural heritage as the anchor. Three workshops, scheduled anywhere across September and October 2026.
Best for: organisations already working on culture change who want Heritage Day to open a longer process rather than close a single day.
From R136 000
Who you will be working with
Adanma Yisa (she/her) Founder and Director of Black Coconut. She has advised organisations including UNICEF, Impact Hub, and Mama Cash on healthy work cultures. Adanma holds a Master's in Critical Diversity Studies and is an advisor to the South African Human Rights Commission. She is a certified Thinking Environment Coach, a 2026 Post Growth Fellow, and co-founder of The Decoloniality Network.
Jamil F. Khan (they/them) Researcher, author and PhD in Critical Diversity Studies. Their work explores belonging, stigma, social construction and the making of abject societal figures. Their sociopolitical memoir "Khamr: The Makings of a Waterslams" won the 2021 Humanities and Social Sciences Award for Best Biography and the 2021 University of Johannesburg Debut Prize for South African Writing in English.
Let’s talk about your September
FAQS
How far in advance should we book?
September dates fill quickly. We recommend confirming soon to secure your preferred slot.
Can you deliver virtually?
Yes. Both the talk and the workshop adapt to virtual delivery. The bespoke series works best with at least one in-person session.
Do you work outside Gauteng?
Yes, nationally.
Our team is quite skeptical about DEI sessions.
Good. Say so when you brief us. Sessions built for a skeptical room differ from those built for a willing one, and we would rather design for the room you actually have.
Do these have to happen on or around Heritage Day?
Not at all. Heritage Day is a natural anchor for this content, but the talks and workshops work just as well at any point in the year. If a different date suits your team better, tell us, and we'll plan around it.
I'd like to talk this through before deciding. How do I reach you?
Use the form above, or reach out directly to Adanma at adanma@blackcoconut.co.za or 083 719 0424. WhatsApp and calls are both fine.