I simply love the Bo Kaap.
It has so much character ,is steeped in history, developed as a mixed cultural neighbourhood,and has a large number of Muslim folk,
.
The name means- above Cape,and this small residential area (less than 2 km long and half a km wide) is situated above the central business district of the City of Cape Town.
The houses in the area were characterised by either classic Dutch,or British influences.
Some elements of Baroque and Rococo blend, with Georgian influences.
Its character started emerging during the period of 1780-1840.
In 1710 there were about 180 houses
Today there are about 600 houses,300 apartments,and 10 mosques,7 are currently in use.
Number 79 Dorp Street was granted to Andries Thomasz in 1707 to be used as garden land, it was 0.8 hectares in size.
He was a company soldier.
This land was then bought by Jan De Waal in 1760,and split into 37 portions.
Several Huurhuisies (houses for rent) were built, they were single storied, with flat roofs.
These were let to immigrant artisans and craftsmen of European descent, who worked in town.
These folk eventually began to move to suburbs south of the city.
The area was also home to free black immigrants from Asia and freed slaves
.
Slaves were emancipated in 1834.
The residents descended from East African, Indonesian, Javanese, Malaysian slaves, imported by the Dutch in 17th century.
The slaves were political exiles,convicts,skilled craftsmen,artisans,famous scholars,religious leaders.
They were superb cooks too, and brought delicious Malay cuisine with them, which plays a huge role in the cuisine of South African cooking, which also incorporates Asian, Arab and European cuisine.
Bo Kaap residents in the 19th and 20th centuries comprised of doctors, teachers, musicians, builders, washerwomen, dressmakers, labourers, cooks, artisans,and tailors.
They played an important role in building and servicing Cape Town, and contributed to its economic and cultural life.
By the 1930s,certain parts of the Bo Kaap became dilapidated.
Many households struggled to make ends meet.
Steady deterioration continued,
The Group Areas Act of 1950 (only scrapped in 1991) saw the relocation of several race groups,and disruption of peoples lives and culture in the area.
Building restoration projects started in 1970s by the National Monuments Council.
Sadly, today, due to increased property rates, traditional families are under financial pressure, and businesses are developing in the area.
The colourfully painted houses also only came into being from the last parts of the 1900s.
Irrespective of all these changes, there is still a strong Muslim community, and many areas that have the character of days gone by.
These I enjoy seeking out and photographing!
A walk through Bo Kaap
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
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2025-02-12