District Six
Saturday was a wonderful day to be in Cape Town. We took two taxis to District Six Museum where we learned about the history of apartheid and its effects on the community. Established in 1867, the neighborhood was home to many immigrants and freed slaves. The Group Areas Act of 1950 named District Six an area for whites only on February 11, 1966. Over the next four years, two hundred families were physically removed from their homes every six months. It took a total of four years to get the seventy thousand residents out of District Six, and many were relocated to the Cape Flats. Bulldozers finally demolished the area in 1970. Astonishingly enough, many whites refused to move into the area due to the devastating circumstances, and it was renamed Zonnebloem by the apartheid government.
The District Six Museum is a place for people (ex-residents and tourists) to hear stories of individuals who were ravaged by forced removals. One man, Noor (Light) Ebrahim, is both an ex-resident and now tour guide of District Six. We were lucky enough to hear his dynamic story first hand today during our visit. Noor showed us where his house was located on the giant floor map and shared personal stories and family photos with our group. It is not surprising to hear about the frustration of individuals like Noor due to the long wait in rebuilding the township. While sixty percent of the land is empty, money continues to support outside projects such as the FIFA World Cup (2010). Despite the grief and frustration Noor explains, “We don’t hate them. We forgive them.”
Walking around the museum helped us better understand the massiveness of forced removals. Covering the walls are quotations, pictures, memorabilia, and stories. A large name cloth hangs seven meters long and is used as a means of recording names of residents of District Six. The inscribed cloth was transformed into a bright and enduring banner. Each week three women meet to continue embroidering the beautiful name cloth. Also hanging are banners, rent cards, identity documents, letters, and detailed explanations that helped us understand the totality of the loss.
As we continued our stroll through the museum, we came to a large room dedicated to acknowledge the Horstley Street Memorial Park. The circular room recognizes the bare earth of District Six as a powerful symbol and reminder of the history of forced removals. The construction phase talks about the terrace huts built on Horstley Street (100 singly story huts). Phase two of the park describes the occupation of the one hundred years of use. Artifacts such as marbles, toys, pins, cups, sheep bones, peach pipes, and shoes are displayed in glass cases. The final phase explains the short, brutal destruction of Horstley Street by bulldozers. “The Writers Floor” is covered with beautiful tiles that tell stories driven by the urgency of voices. Along with the mosaic floor, music and pictures surround the Memorial Park.
The District Six Museum evokes unforgettable emotions. Our visit to the museum truly helped us make sense of many of the readings and tales we talked about so many times. Seeing the faces, reading the poetry, listening to the sounds, and touching the artifacts brought the museum to life.
