Photos: Zulu masks at Greenmarket Square; Community map at the District Six Museum; Photo of Mandela outside his Robben Island prison cellWe had an excellent and very moving day, finally got down to the core of SA’s dark history, and the roots of apartheid. Our day started at a Kurdish Sisha bar for brekkie, ending with Cape Malay curry for dinner, shopping for African tribal artwork, and learning about District Six, Robben Island and Mr. Mandela, all in the same day…I think this sums up the diversity of experience that is Cape Town…
We started the day at the Kurdish Sisha Lounge around the corner, incredible coffee and one of the best omellettes I have ever had. Their upstairs smoking lounge was really neat looking. There are a few photos on the Flickr site.
After a leisurely start, we took a walk through town and looking at artwork at the local craft market (well, one of them), just a block away. There was an incredible range of artwork to be experienced, and some very good choices. Didn’t buy anything today, waiting to check out other places/prices and see what other things can be found elsewhere. We then walked through the Company Gardens area, all the old governments buildings etc. The gardens are pretty nice, finally a little bit of green in this very urban, active and packed city.
We made our way to the District Six Museum. District Six was an area, on the northern side of Cape Town, right at the City Centre, that grew up since 1867 as an area where those of every race built a vibrant and harmonious community, marked by close connections between neighbours (regardless of race) and music and family. Beginning in 1966 the SA government deemed the area to be a “white’s only” area, the residents’ houses destroyed and the 60,000 people living there to be forcibly relocated to townships in the eastern Cape Flats area, 30-50 km away. Over the course of 11 years, they bulldozed every house, and even 3 churches in the District. Families were split up into racially segregated areas – our tour guide (one of the founders of the Museum), Noor, said his neighbour who was Indian and married a black woman, they had 3 children, and she was sent to live with her children in the new Black township, and he was forced to live in the Coloured Townships, and he had to apply to go and visit her and the children, and he could only see her every 3 months. The exhibits were incredibly moving, as was Noor’s story. The floor is covered with a large map of the old District Six community, with all the old streets etc. People who used to live there come and right their names, of where their house used to be.
Noor, our guide, was one of the founders of this museum in 1994, and he has been able to meet a number of world leaders, and he told some funny stories of that…for example he was asked whether he was nervous when he met Al Gore (who arrived with a battalion of security guys), and he said “why should I be, he’s just a man like everyone else, we are all God’s creatures.” And he said that when Nelson Mandela came, he was able to shake his hand and later that evening he told his wife that she could not touch that hand! From the conversation I overhear, Mandela is revered here (of course), by both blacks and whites alike.
While we were there, a number of older black ladies arrived, and I got to listen in on their conversation with Noor – many of them have lived in District Six, and were removed of course back in the 60’s. I was floored by their ability to forgive, to not harbour ill will, even though they have so much to be angry for. One very lovely lady, she was saying “Happy times we had here, we all got along. It’s not about the colour, it’s not about the colour”.
In 1994, the government instituted a reclamation policy whereby families that were moved can reclaim their property and houses will be built for them. Others who did not want this option are provided with financial compensation instead. Some of the oldest former residents are moving back into (people in their 80s and 90s), but the process is happening. Much of the land still lies vacant, the whites never did develop much of the area, even after they destroyed all the existing homes. There is also a plan for a community college in the area.
We started the day at the Kurdish Sisha Lounge around the corner, incredible coffee and one of the best omellettes I have ever had. Their upstairs smoking lounge was really neat looking. There are a few photos on the Flickr site.
After a leisurely start, we took a walk through town and looking at artwork at the local craft market (well, one of them), just a block away. There was an incredible range of artwork to be experienced, and some very good choices. Didn’t buy anything today, waiting to check out other places/prices and see what other things can be found elsewhere. We then walked through the Company Gardens area, all the old governments buildings etc. The gardens are pretty nice, finally a little bit of green in this very urban, active and packed city.
We made our way to the District Six Museum. District Six was an area, on the northern side of Cape Town, right at the City Centre, that grew up since 1867 as an area where those of every race built a vibrant and harmonious community, marked by close connections between neighbours (regardless of race) and music and family. Beginning in 1966 the SA government deemed the area to be a “white’s only” area, the residents’ houses destroyed and the 60,000 people living there to be forcibly relocated to townships in the eastern Cape Flats area, 30-50 km away. Over the course of 11 years, they bulldozed every house, and even 3 churches in the District. Families were split up into racially segregated areas – our tour guide (one of the founders of the Museum), Noor, said his neighbour who was Indian and married a black woman, they had 3 children, and she was sent to live with her children in the new Black township, and he was forced to live in the Coloured Townships, and he had to apply to go and visit her and the children, and he could only see her every 3 months. The exhibits were incredibly moving, as was Noor’s story. The floor is covered with a large map of the old District Six community, with all the old streets etc. People who used to live there come and right their names, of where their house used to be.
Noor, our guide, was one of the founders of this museum in 1994, and he has been able to meet a number of world leaders, and he told some funny stories of that…for example he was asked whether he was nervous when he met Al Gore (who arrived with a battalion of security guys), and he said “why should I be, he’s just a man like everyone else, we are all God’s creatures.” And he said that when Nelson Mandela came, he was able to shake his hand and later that evening he told his wife that she could not touch that hand! From the conversation I overhear, Mandela is revered here (of course), by both blacks and whites alike.
While we were there, a number of older black ladies arrived, and I got to listen in on their conversation with Noor – many of them have lived in District Six, and were removed of course back in the 60’s. I was floored by their ability to forgive, to not harbour ill will, even though they have so much to be angry for. One very lovely lady, she was saying “Happy times we had here, we all got along. It’s not about the colour, it’s not about the colour”.
In 1994, the government instituted a reclamation policy whereby families that were moved can reclaim their property and houses will be built for them. Others who did not want this option are provided with financial compensation instead. Some of the oldest former residents are moving back into (people in their 80s and 90s), but the process is happening. Much of the land still lies vacant, the whites never did develop much of the area, even after they destroyed all the existing homes. There is also a plan for a community college in the area.
1 comment:
Wow kids Great blog!!!!!!
Ill keep watching. Im jealous but so is everyone else!!!!
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