Bo Kaap ‘s literal translation is "Above the Cape," because this particular neighborhood stands at the top of Signal hill overlooking Cape Town. An area, formerly known as the Malay Quarter, houses descendents from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Malaysia who were captured in the 17th and 18th century and used as slaves by the Dutch-East Indian Trading Company. Cape Malay is known for its cobble stone streets, colorful homes, Muslim culture, rich tradition, and tight knit community. In South Africa these descendents are referred to as coloreds and during Apartheid they were considered to be above blacks in society’s social status yet still below whites. This is evident today when observing the differences between the black and colored townships
We had a 3-course lunch at the Bo Kaap Kombuis restaurant. Our volunteer group’s regular driver, Kimmie, and a fixture in the Cape Malay community described our particular dessert, Koesisters, as his usual Sunday breakfast. Kimmie used to live in District 6, a former residential city and best known for the forced removal of over 60,000 of its inhabitants during the 1970’s by the Apartheid regime. 35 years ago, Kimmie endured the atrocities that occurred in District 6 and the inevitable move into poorly built homes.
It was a poignant moment talking to an individual who had experienced Apartheid and when asked if life is better now his reply was simply, “it’s supposed to be, but it’s not.” And that is the one thing I’ve come to find as a volunteer and traveler to Cape Town, South Africa. South African citizen were hopeful when Nelson Mandela came to office, and yes progress has been made, but it has been 15 years and so many economic injustices are still apparent. There is so much still left to be done, so many people who are starving, so many people who are dying, and so many people who do not even have proper homes and basic needs met.
Once we finished talking to Kimmie and having lunch, we took a stroll around the community to let everything sink in. We completed our trip with a visit to the former Slave Lodge where they housed Slaves in the 1600's and the Nelson Mandela exhibit where we learned more about the realities of South Africa’s history. It was a wonderfully intriguing and emotional day, one that I am sure to remember and take with me after leaving this truly inspirational yet heartbreaking place.
It was a poignant moment talking to an individual who had experienced Apartheid and when asked if life is better now his reply was simply, “it’s supposed to be, but it’s not.” And that is the one thing I’ve come to find as a volunteer and traveler to Cape Town, South Africa. South African citizen were hopeful when Nelson Mandela came to office, and yes progress has been made, but it has been 15 years and so many economic injustices are still apparent. There is so much still left to be done, so many people who are starving, so many people who are dying, and so many people who do not even have proper homes and basic needs met.
Once we finished talking to Kimmie and having lunch, we took a stroll around the community to let everything sink in. We completed our trip with a visit to the former Slave Lodge where they housed Slaves in the 1600's and the Nelson Mandela exhibit where we learned more about the realities of South Africa’s history. It was a wonderfully intriguing and emotional day, one that I am sure to remember and take with me after leaving this truly inspirational yet heartbreaking place.
1 comment:
Lol, nice "Waal Street"! - Amanda
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