Everywhere else in the world, soap is just soap. In South Africa, Sunlight soap is very special. It conjures up great nostalgia because most of us grew up with it. And, it’s more than just a laundry bar. It’s been used as toothpaste, to create dreadlocks, to clean sneakers, plug holes in buckets and even as an enema! Many people have graduated to more contemporary, personal care items but still include Sunlight soap as part of their daily regime. This is South Africa’s most iconic soap bar.

Our country has so many cultures and languages, so to celebrate Heritage Day, we needed some kind of tradition that binds us all. This press ad celebrates the way South Africans use and remember Sunlight soap and honours its 134 years of existence. To stay true to our rich diversity, the copy was written in English, IsiZulu, Afrikaans and unofficial language – Tsotsitaal.

They say all soap washes. But not this one. This one raised us with wash buckets on early mornings. It makes traditional ceremony pots shine brighter than ‘township’ street lights, on the other hand it makes sneakers dope. On the early commute, it’s the green aroma that greets you faster than fat cakes sold at taxi stations. Whether it’s a perfect block or that last little oblong piece, it’s like no other soap - unofficially it’s the medicine that heals everything. This Heritage Month, South Africa’s long-lasting soap celebrates lifelong stories and everything that makes us South African.

Sunlight. We’ve been there. Since, since.

(“Since Since” is a colloquial term meaning it’s been around forever.)