Slave Route remembers Cape’s heritage

(This article was published in the Weekend Argus, a weekly newspaper in the Western Cape province, South Africa, on March 13 2016.)

Written by Yazeed Kamaldien

When runners start sweating during the upcoming inner-city Slave Route Challenge, the names of forgotten slaves whose hands built the colonial Cape will become visible on a unique T-shirt designed for this annual race.

The race’s innovative T-shirts will bear the names of 8,000 slaves, as recorded on the Column of Memory at the Iziko Slave Lodge on Wale Street in central Cape Town.

Slaves from various parts of the world were detained at the lodge which is now a museum. Apart from this landmark, slave history remains invisible and unmarked in Cape Town.

Race organiser Farouk Meyer says this Slave Route intends to highlight the city’s slave history.

“This year, every person that registers to take part in the Slave Route will run on behalf of one of the names on the Column of Memory, allowing each runner to honour a specific person that was an important part of our country’s past,” says Meyer.

The first Slave Route was held in 2011, after Meyer had been running through District Six and had a “moment of clarity”.

“I stopped, looked back and around me and felt the silence,” says Meyer.

“I saw the Castle of Good Hope and I remembered the stories told to us about how Cape Town was built by those enslaved.

“I looked at the mosques and churches in District Six and I knew that if there was one event I would like to organise, it would be a run in honour of these individuals who played such an important role in the development of our country.”

Meyer designed a route passing various inner-city slave sites, including the Grand Parade, Castle of Good Hope, District Six, Company’s Garden, Bo-Kaap and others.

The race attracts up to 7,000 participants, says Meyer, a regular runner who works with the Itheko Sport Athletics Club based in Athlone.

Meyer says while there are a number of races in Cape Town, this one is an “event with a physical wellbeing aspect and a deeper meaning”.

“Much more awareness needs to be created about the history and heritage of those who were enslaved,” he says.

“This is a way to create awareness, but it also needs to be taken into schools.”

Slave Lodge curator Paul Tichmann says the race is a means for Capetonians, many who are descendants of slaves from the colonial era, to “engage with this history and reconnect with their roots”.

“The Slave Lodge is a site of memory and a place of reconciliation and hope,” says Tichmann.

Llewellyn Allen, brand manager at Metropolitan which sponsors the race, says they got involved to “get Capetonians to start seeing the bonds not the divides”.

“We hope to give people an opportunity to honour and remember someone who is part of the fabric of our country,” says Allen.

“Someone who does not have a statue or road name to commemorate them and is sometimes forgotten.”

The Slave Route Challenge is planned for May 8 and starts in Darling Street in central Cape Town.

It comprises a half marathon, 10km run, 5km run or walk as well as a 10km walk.

Organisers will have seven refreshment stations on the route and koeksisters, a local sweet treat, will be served in Bo-Kaap’s Wale Street, also called Koesister Hill by its residents.

Entry forms are available at Sportsmans Warehouse stores or online at http://www.iamrunningfor.co.za.

‘Sex traffickers will be back for my daughter’

(This article was first published on 5 March 2016 on page four of the Weekend Argus, a weekend newspaper published in the Western Cape province of South Africa.)

Written by Yazeed Kamaldien

The Cape Town teenager almost trafficked into sex slavery still fears that her recruiters would come after her, said her mother yesterday.

Weekend Argus reported last weekend the 19-year-old, who does not want to be named publicly, was stopped in Cape Town just before she was about to get on a flight to Johannesburg.

She was offered a job as a receptionist in Johannesburg but local non-profit, Activist Networking against the Exploitation of Children (Anex), confirmed the company recruiting her was in fact operating a house for sex workers.

The teen’s mother, who also did not want to be named, yesterday told Weekend Argus her daughter was safe.

“She is not staying with us at the moment. We are trying to keep her away from our residence because our address is on her CV that she sent them (recuiters),” said the mother.

“We feel they will come back for her. They are a syndicate and they will come back looking for her because she cost them money.”

Anex executive director Claudia Smit said they would assist the teen with counselling. She was also concerned that the police had not yet started investigating the matter.

“We have enough evidence that this girl would have been trafficked,” said Smit.

“They need to prosecute him (recruiter). He needs to be charged with trafficking.”

Western Cape police spokesman Captain FC Van Wyk said they could not investigate the matter until the teen laid a complaint.

“She needs to report the matter to the police for an investigation to be instituted. We cannot act on the grounds of what a third party says,” said Van Wyk.

Smit said it was unlikely that the teen would lay a complaint with the police.

“If she was desperate to lay a case she would have already. Women are not reporting these matters because the police are not empathetic,” said Smit.

“If that girl goes to the police station alone today who will believe her. And this country is one of the most violent in the world.”

Arch Tutu to cut back on public life due to ill health

Written by Yazeed Kamaldien

Concerns mounted over the health of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu yesterday, after he couldn’t complete his weekly morning church service, and was also not well enough to hand out gifts as planned at Tygerberg Children’s Hospital.

The 84-year-old Struggle icon’s health has been monitored closely in recent months, after he spent nearly two weeks in hospital at the end of August, being treated for a persistent infection.

Tutu has been battling prostate cancer for years.

Yesterday his daughter Mpho Tutu said her father would steadily reduce his public appearances due to ill health.

Reverend Canon Mpho Tutu (left), the daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, yesterday visited mothers and their premature babies at the Tygerberg Children’s Hospital. With Tutu are Sophia Hendriks from Stellenbosch and her baby boy Cayden. Picture by Yazeed Kamaldien

The Arch, as Tutu is affectionately known, was to have joined her at the Tygerberg Children’s Hospital yesterday.

Mpho Tutu, executive director of the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, was instead alone as she handed over a cheque for R15,000 to the hospital’s unit caring for mothers and their premature babies.

She said the foundation had raised the money at a recent charity auction. Her father was to have attended, but was instead “taking a break”.

“He’s not feeling on top of the world. He’s had a couple of days of really not feeling like himself,” said Mpho Tutu.

She added that Tutu had battled after his recent hospitalisation and treatment.

“His progress has been slow but sure, as is probably expected for a person of his age,” she said.

“What he was describing as a gentle process of withdrawal from public life is taking more real effect.”

Reverend Canon Mpho Tutu, the daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, holds baby Cayden Hendriks at Tygerberg Children’s Hospital yesterday. The archbishop could not attend the event because his health is not in a good condition. Picture by Yazeed Kamaldien

Meanwhile, at St George’s Cathedral in the city yesterday the congregation was left concerned after Tutu stopped short while delivering the morning service.

“He did mass this morning as normal, but then he was struggling to move. Somebody else had to take over,” one congregant said.

The City of Cape Town and the provincial government this week announced a Purple March for Reconciliation Day on Wednesday.

The authorities said in a joint statement that they wanted to honour Tutu and his wife Leah for dedicating “their lives to fostering peace and togetherness in a country that has overcome incredibly traumatic times”.

“The walk will be a peaceful celebration of two of this country’s most impactful leaders, so the mood will be festive and fun, with the intent of showing the Arch and Mama Leah gratitude, whilst also demonstrating the unity so vital to our society,” the statement read.

The Purple March will start on the Fan Walk in Somerset Road at 11am, and all participants are asked to dress in purple.

“This ties into the theme Purple, which is an acronym for Prayer, Unity, Reconciliation, Peace, Love and Equality, all the things our country needs to nurture the rainbow nation we all strive for,” the organisers said.

The provincial government has also lined Wale Street in the city centre with purple banners bearing Tutu’s smiling face.

Dancing across borders on Cape Town stage

Written by Yazeed Kamaldien

Body movements and not words helped a South African choreographer communicate to Chinese dancers her vision for a dance piece they will perform in the city on Monday night.

Moya Michael, who has lived in Belgium for two decades, was commissioned to work with dancers at the Shanghai-based Jin Xing Dance Theatre.

South African choreographer Moya Michael. Picture Yazeed Kamaldien

Michael, originally from Johannesburg, said they could not understand each other’s languages but for the five weeks they rehearsed together they formed an understanding based mostly on body movements.

“It was a challenge in the beginning, even though there were translators. It takes a bit longer to work like that,” says Michael.

“But I work mainly with images, so most of the time I ended up showing what I wanted to say.”

Michael is among three international choreographers whose collaboration with Jin Xing that will be staged at the inaugural Cape Town International Dance Festival at Artscape Theatre on Monday night. It runs until December 6.

Michael’s half-hour performance is called Echo and she said it is a show of women’s strength.

“I wanted to work with women because of all the stereotypes of Chinese women who are seen as being subservient. I wanted to show the strength of women,” said Michael.

“The seven women dancers all look very beautiful and elegant. But when they move it’s just raw power.”

Echo was also the first performance on a Chinese stage with a “highly pregnant female dancer” said Michael.

“I reworked the piece recently after the dancer gave birth, to give her more movement,” said Michael.

When Michael first went to China, she felt “very welcomed” and did not rely on stereotypes when she landed there.

“We hear all these things; Chinese people are like this or that. But I was just interested to learn. I was lucky to see China on different levels,” she said.

“It’s very busy and fascinating. All your senses are opened. There is so much to see, hear, smell and eat.

“There’s so much western influence but they are so proud of their heritage.”

Jin Xing, founder of the company that commissioned Michael, said they met in Shanghai. She said she hired Michael because she is a “good choreographer”.

Xing started dancing in the Chinese military at age nine but years later studied and worked in contemporary dance in New York and Europe.

“I was a dance machine in the military, but I was doing propaganda work. It was a job and less passion,” said Xing.

“After I discovered modern dance, I decided to send a message through my work about what I’m thinking.”

Working independently, Xing soon discovered that Chinese audiences were not always open to her contemporary dance pieces.

But ten years on, she says there has been progress.

“Self-expression was difficult for audiences when we started. It has taken time but things have changed tremendously,” she said.

“I never worry about the audience anymore.”

Heinz Gerd Oidtmann, whose company produced the three dance pieces for Monday night’s performance, said after a decade of working in China he has also seen possibilities shift.

“It’s not easy (for contemporary dancers) because there is reluctance and resistance. But if you are determined you can do it,” he said.

“The dynamic of the country and economy offers a lot of opportunities for people who are ambitious and want to achieve something more.”

Delft woman supports matrics with meals and hugs

Written by Yazeed Kamaldien

A half hour drive from central Cape Town, an unemployed resident in isolated Delft has opened her cupboards to cook hearty meals for matric pupils writing their final exam.

It is the third year that Louise Hendricks, unemployed since September this year, has been ensuring that pupils from Voorbrug Senior Secondary School in Delft do not write their exam on an empty stomach.

MEALS AND MOTIVATION: Louise Hendricks, an unemployed Delft resident, talks to matric pupils at her daughter’s home where she has prepared meals for them before their exams. Picture Yazeed Kamaldien

Delft is a low-income area synonymous with crime, gangs and associated social challenges. This motivated Hendricks to make a difference.

In 2013, she cooked meals for six pupils, including her daughter who was in matric.

Last year she managed to cook for 20 pupils and this year she hosted up to 51 children on some days.

“I went to the school and they gave me the names of 30 children (to host). But at the end of the day we had more. We could offer them a meal every morning before they went to write the exam,” said Hendricks.

“I have a team of four other women who help and my daughter coordinates things. People in the community have helped a lot. Some have given money and others gave eggs or cheese.”

The team from Delft who are helping matric pupils with social support while writing their final exam. Picture Yazeed Kamaldien

On Thursday, when Weekend Argus interviewed Hendricks, she was serving pupils lunch that had been sponsored by a caterer from Delft.

“If they write exams in the afternoon then we serve lunch. We want them to feel good when they leave here,” said Hendricks.

“We pray with them. We hug them because that could mean so much to them. We do it with love.”

Sascha-Lee Schouw, one of the pupils at the lunch, said he was from a household where his father was unemployed and his mother’s salary was low.

“Unemployment is a big issue. A lot of our people are poor and don’t have jobs. Houses are overcrowded,” said Schouw.

“We are a family of five children and my grandmother also lives with us. We live in a two-bedroom house. Some mornings there is nothing to eat.”

Schouw said Hendricks had a “very good idea” to assist matric pupils.

SOCIAL SUPPORT: Louise Hendricks, an unemployed Delft resident, chats to matric pupils before they head off to write their exam. Hendricks has been cooking meals for matric pupils in Delft since 2013. Picture Yazeed Kamaldien

“This shows that not all people are bad. There are people trying to bring change in the community and stop gangsterism. They want to reach out to youngsters who are in danger,” said Schouw.

“We need to take care and help matriculants. Most of the day we go to the exam with nothing in our stomachs and can’t concentrate on what we are doing.”

Schouw added that it was normal for young people, such as himself, to witness murders and gang violence regularly.

“If you walk around you must look over both shoulders to see when something is coming your way. Even if you are not a gangster, they can still harm you. We have many gangsters at our school.”

His classmate Robyn-Kelly Hawes said the meals and encouragement from Hendricks have “made the exam less stressful”.

Voorbrug acting principal Glenville Jonker said Hendricks has had a “positive impact”.

“This is a good intervention especially for learners with poverty at home. It helps them to write the exam. It gives them more energy,” said Jonker.

He said the school wants pupils to ultimately “help themselves”.

“They need to see that they can also give. They can get involved in the area. They can help somebody to read or write or assist them with school work,” he said.

“We need to build a support system to encourage them.”

Hendricks’ daughter Carol-Ann Johnson, an assistant librarian at Kuils River library, has opened her house to host the breakfasts and lunches for matric pupils.

DARE TO DREAM: Carol-Ann Johnson, a librarian in Kuils River, has helped her mother Louise Hendricks coordinate a project that provides meals and support to matric pupils in Delft. They want to expand their project. Picture Yazeed Kamaldien

“I’m a community person. For me, it’s about how can I make a difference in somebody’s life. I can’t just live a normal life. I have to get involved,” said Johnson of her involvement.

“I also want to show the kids that it’s possible to rise above the circumstances. I grew up in Delft and didn’t have everything. But I want to show them they can rise above what is happening around them everyday.

“In Delft, I see how people don’t have food. I can even see somebody selling drugs. But their dreams should not be limited to their circumstances.”

Johnson said it was worth the effort waking up 6am to prepare breakfast with her mom and other volunteers for matric pupils.

“You can see when they leave here how relaxed they are,” she said.

Hendricks and Johnson want to assist all matric pupils in Delft in the future.

“Our space at my home is limited so we can only accommodate so many. Our dream is to have it at the school and then at all the schools in the area. We would need funding for that,” said Johnson.

“We also want to educate pupils about studying after high school. We want to connect them to people so they can know their options. We want them to know where they can study and get bursaries.”

Schouw and Hawes both want to study teaching. Schouw said he has applied for a bursary for next year and will also try to find a holiday job once exams are done next week.

“I would like to find a job maybe at a restaurant. I’ll do dishes or clean,” he said.

Hawes said she has a holiday job lined up and will also work next year to “save for my studies”.

“Education is very expensive. I want to use the time to save money so that I can pay for my university studies,” she said.

“I want to be a teacher. It’s what I would like to do. My English teacher inspired me to be a teacher. It excites me.”

Factory workers ready for their Spring Queen

Written by Yazeed Kamaldien

Endless snipping scissors and sewing machines churning out garments will be out of sight tonight (SATURDAY) when Cape Town’s factory workers gather to crown their Spring Queen at an annual fashion pageant.

For the last four decades the Southern African Clothing and Textile Worker’s Union (Sactwu) has organised the pageant. The event venue has shifted though, from the traditional Good Hope Centre to Athlone Stadium for the first time.

Sixty-four finalists each representing a different factory are set to compete for the Spring Queen title in a competition that seeks to also encourage support for the local clothing industry.

Sactwu general secretary Andre Kriel believes their campaign has seen successes in a market that over the last few years has seen a negative impact due to clothing imports.

Kriel says they have worked with the government to push back and create jobs.

“We believe deeply in the importance of promoting and growing our local manufacturing industry. Local production means more jobs,” says Kriel.

“National government has declared that all clothing, textile, footwear and leather products bought by all spheres and departments of government must be locally manufactured.

“The impact of it all is that after many years of job losses our industry has stabilised.”

At factories this week, workers have been finalising dresses for their contestants who have meanwhile been rehearsing for their big night.

An inaugural Junior Spring Queen Pageant has also been introduced this year, with ten girls aged 13 to 16 participating.

Talented performers drawn from factories are scheduled to entertain an audience that usually amounts to thousands of factory workers and their families and friends.

Shiehaam Green, who does hand sewing at a women’s clothing factory, will compete in the finals for the third time. The Hanover Park single mother of three children says she was “having fun” going up against “girls much younger than me”.

Shiehaam Green

“My oldest son is 21 and he can’t believe that I’m doing this. His friends asked him if I’m his sister when they saw my pictures from the last pageant on Facebook,” says Green.

“I live alone with my children and this keeps me busy. It could not have come at a better time.”

Green says she searched the Internet for inspiration for her dress for the finale. Factories sponsor the manufacture of the main dress but each participant needs to cover related expenses, such as hair and make-up.

Candice Caswell, a factory clerk from Manenberg who is entering the pageant for the first time, says this is where support from co-workers was vital.

Candice Caswell

“The factory sponsors the dress but you have to get your own jewellery and make-up. The other girls help with fundraising for the stuff we need,” says Caswell.

She found that after starting her factory job earlier this year the pageant was a way for her to meet new friends at work.

“When I started in this job I knew nobody. The pageant gave me confidence to speak to them (colleagues). I met a few girls and we became friends,” says Caswell.

“I’m getting a lot of support from the people I work with, especially my manager. They are all excited for me. I’m having fun.”

Caswell says the part she enjoys most about entering the pageant is the “steps that you learn, especially the dancing sequence”.

Alisha McNeil, a quality controller from Mitchell’s Plain, is entering the pageant for the second time.

Alisha McNeil

As she rushed off to rehearsals in the week to “practise how to walk and dance” she said she was “super excited”.

A heartfelt moment during the last preparation week for packer Kerr Facolyn from Bonteheuwel was when her machinist mother Pearl Facolyn offered her advice.

Two decades ago Pearl entered the Spring Queen pageant. Mother and daughter now work at the same factory in Observatory.

Kerr Facolyn and her mom Pearl Facolyn (seated)

“She said I mustn’t stop smiling, no matter what happens,” says Kerr of her mother’s words.

“I knew she also entered before. That made me curious to see what it’s all about.”

Kerr was named Miss Personality in last year’s finals and as she walks through the factory she talks about what makes her nervous about entering the contest.

“I’m nervous because I want to make them (co-workers) proud. I don’t want to disappoint them. They worked hard to make my dress for the event. I want to give my best to thank them,” says Kerr.

“I am very excited. All of the people in my factory are with me 100%. The support from my company is motivating me.”

Kerr says in the end the event is meant for everyone to “come together and just have fun”.

“It’s all about factory workers and bosses trying to come together. Usually, it’s just work, work, work. Now you don’t have to worry about production. It’s just a fun day,” she says.

“We are with each other more than we are with our families at home. To just celebrate and be together for something other than work is nice.”

Sactwu’s Spring Queen pageant will be held at Athlone Stadium today from 3pm. The day’s events include a junior pageant before the main event.

Heritage Day tour on Eid ul-Adha explores Cape Muslim history

Written by Yazeed Kamaldien

The Cape’s Muslim history and culture will be the focus of a Heritage Day tour next week when the national holiday coincides with Eid ul-Adha, an annual Islamic festival.

Eid ul-Adha marks the pilgrimage that Muslims are obliged to make to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, at least once in a lifetime if they are by the financial and physical means.

And every year on September 24, which marks national Heritage Day, locals are encouraged to learn about each other’s cultures.

Heritage Day this year falls on Eid ul-Adha, an annual Islamic festival. A local tour on the day will showcase the religious and cultural highlights to non-Muslims. Picture by Craig Fraser/Quivertree

Kate Crane Briggs, a tour guide originally from England, has initiated a tour to explore Islamic heritage in the Cape on Eid ul-Adha.

Along with Bo-Kaap locals, she will take her tour group to a mosque and also indulge in Cape Malay cuisine.

Crane Briggs, who is married to a South African, says she has a “passion for Western Cape culture” and organising tours is her way of sharing it with others.

“I have been curating culture related experiences in Cape Town for four years. On one of my tours, I met a woman who has lived in the city for 60 years but had never been to Bo-Kaap,” says Crane Briggs.

“She said she really wanted to find out about Bo-Kaap. So I used my network to find locals that I could work with on a tour.

“I found a woman who does cooking demonstrations for tourists. There are people who come from around the world for her demonstrations.”

Crane Briggs says her Heritage Day itinerary is an example of her attempt to offer “more than just a tour”.

“We go to places that are usually inaccessible. It will be a particularly special day in Bo-Kaap,” she says.

On the day, Crain Briggs will start her tour at the Bo-Kaap museum on Wale Street. The tour will then pass through Islamic heritage sites and community projects.

A three course Cape Malay lunch at the home of Faldela Tolker will round up the tour.

Tolker’s cooking demonstrations have a five-star rating from the travel website TripAdvisor, while the Huffington Post website listed it as a ‘must-do’ when visiting Cape Town.

The Heritage Day tour guide will be Mohammed Groenewald, a Bo-Kaap activist with a “passion for promoting religious harmony”.

Groenewald will “share stories about the first political prisoners of the Cape and the location of the first Friday secret prayer meetings”.

“We’ll also hear his views on gentrification of the area, women in Islamic culture and local politics. He’ll point out features which are easy to miss, such as the murals created with Iranian artist Nasser Palangi,” says Crain Briggs.

Groenewald hopes the Heritage Day tour would “change mindsets”.

“If you look at religion from a cultural perspective, it has a great impact. This tour could have an impact on the way Muslims are looked at,” he says.

“It is important to have these events so that people are exposed to each other. Without this, people would always think negatively of others.”

Groenewald says local Muslims need to explore their heritage and culture more too.

He says usually foreign tourists visit Bo-Kaap while locals do not explore it as a site where the country’s first Muslim community was established.

“Islamic heritage dates back over 300 years in the Cape. It always has been a history of struggle. This community survived great struggles,” says Groenewald.

“We will look at the religious aspect, but also the social justice and cultural perspective. We will discuss colonisation and how Muslims fought against it even before being exiled from Indonesia to the Cape.

“We will also talk about the hajj, or pilgrimage, which is also about a struggle.”

Groenewald adds that Muslims in Cape Town have a “unique expression of Islam”.

“We have various celebrations, a unique culture and music in the Cape. Our forefathers came from the Far East and eastern Africa,” he adds.

“A lot of people are not exposed to the Islamic heritage of South Africa. Heritage Day is a good opportunity to look at each other’s cultures. How much do we know about somebody else’s heritage, even the people that we work with everyday?

“We need to start to nurture that if we want to build an inclusive South Africa. Why not greet someone in their language?”

Crain Briggs says through her tours she has learned more about the local Muslim community in Bo-Kaap.

“They have a very strong identity, even though there has been gentrification in Bo-Kaap. Some of the people who come on the tour are foreigners who have bought property in the area,” she says.

“We share with them the history and the phenomenal stories of the first Muslims in the Cape. They were political prisoners. They were extremely intelligent.

“One of them memorised the entire Qur’an. We share their stories and also those of families who still live with their traditions in Bo-Kaap.”

Crain Briggs says she has also organised tours in Bo-Kaap during Ramadaan, the Islamic month of fasting.

“That’s when we learned a lot about this community’s generosity. I have been really humbled by that,” she says.

“I love their family and community values. And this tour is a small way of bringing awareness of that.”

For more information of the Bo-Kaap tour on Heritage day contact Crain Briggs on kate@cultureconnectsa.com or 072-377-8014.

Traditional cleansing ceremonies planned for Cape Town’s castle

Written by Yazeed Kamaldien

Traditional cleansing ceremonies are planned for the city centre’s Castle of Good Hope this month, as part of commemoration efforts to make it a more inclusive space.

Moeshfieka Botha, culture, heritage and education officer at the castle, says these ceremonies are part of a programme of events running until the end of next year.

Botha says this programme intends to build an inclusive historical narrative of the castle.

To this end, public dialogues are planned where “we need to engage an audience and elicit their stories of the castle” says Botha.

“There are uncomfortable truths that need to be addressed. It’s going to wake up a few ghosts at the castle,” she adds.

“Traditional leaders believe their ancestors at the castle are not at peace. There is blood on this land and that’s why these cleaning ceremonies need to take place.”

An inaugural traditional cleansing ceremony by Khoi tribes is planned for September 25.

Botha says this marks the date when a Khoi kraal was demolished to make way for the castle’s construction 350 years ago.

“People often think the castle was built on a vacant piece of land. But it was built on land that was taken. A Khoi kraal had to be moved for the castle to be built,” says Botha.

“That’s why we decided to acknowledge the 350 year existence of the site with a programme of commemoration rather than a celebration. While we can’t erase and change history we can choose what we glorify.

It is time that the hidden stories from this space be unearthed, told and heard. It is time for the world to be exposed to the beautiful people and cultures linked to this space.”

“Colonial history is part of the castle’s story, but it is no longer the story of the castle in its entirety.”

Other activities include the launch today (SATURDAY) of the Aba Te Indigenous Legacy Project that will run at the castle every week. Classes are free.

This project will include lessons on the Nama language, traditional and medicinal herbs, Bushman bow-making and music as well as indigenous history. These classes will be run at no cost to the public.

The castle’s chief executive Calvyn Gilfellan says their intention is to “change the perception that the castle is still a bastion of colonialism”.

“We cannot wish history away and we have to start telling the true painful stories from within the castle, whilst also celebrating and highlighting the beautiful cultures, traditions and people who were associated with it,” he says.

Cape Town actor promotes his city to Bollywood filmmakers

Written by Yazeed Kamaldien

Cape Town actor Mehboob Bawa, a star of the latest Leon Schuster comedy opening at cinemas countrywide this weekend, has his eyes set on making his own feature film.

In ‘Schuks! Pay Back the Money!’, Bawa plays an “enterprising traffic cop” who takes home a missing rugby Currie Cup trophy to his wife who ends up making curry in it (ha ha ha).

Schuster’s film is described as a “riotous journey… to create a documentary film that shows South Africa in a positive light”. It also features a “series of candid camera gags” which sees the legendary comic actor beaten up quite a bit.

Cape Town actor Mehboob Bawa is among the cast of South African comedian Leon Schuster’s new film Pay Back The Money which opens this weekend. Bawa is also a line producer on Bollywood films shot in South Africa. Picture Yazeed Kamaldien

Closer to home, Bawa is working with a screenwriter on a feature film, ‘Bhai’s Café’, about gentrification in Woodstock. His wife’s company Razia Bawa Productions is making the film.

Bawa says the film is about an Indian corner shop owner who challenges major developers buying up entire blocks of property in Woodstock.

This reflects the reality of what has been happening over the last few years in lower-income parts of this suburb near the city, ensuring closures of landmark cafes and introducing shifts in the long-standing communal spirit of the area.

“This story is synonymous with Cape Town but it is also global,” says Bawa.

“Wherever my wife and I traveled we would find an Indian corner shop. We thought it would be cool to highlight that shop. So our film is about the corner café that is an institution.

“It is about the Patel family coming up against a property developer, but Bhai (the shop owner) doesn’t want to sell. It also has a love story angle, so there’s a lot of drama and tension.”

Bawa is yet to decide if he will play a lead role in the film or step behind the camera as film director.

Working behind-the-scenes would not be unfamiliar to Bawa anyway, as he has for the last few years been working as a line producer with Film Ad.

Bollywood film director Vikram Bhatt (centre) chats to Cape Town actor Mehboob Bawa (right) on location with Indian actor Hiten Tejwaini (left). Bawa is a line produce for Bollywood films. Picture Yazeed Kamaldien

The latter is a local production company that facilitates Bollywood filmmaking in Cape Town.

It is currently working with Bollywood film director Vikram Bhatt and his stars on a feature called Love Games.

“A Bollywood producer comes in and says they want to shoot in Cape Town. We source locations, book crew, accommodation, transport, sort visa applications, from beginning to end,” says Bawa.

He says along with his Film Ad partners Nizam Allie, Noorie Hassan and Aleem Allie they have successfully lobbied for Cape Town to become a narrative element in some Bollywood films.

“Over the last few years that has happened. It means they (film crews) stay here longer,” says Bawa.

He says the production company making Love Games has already made 15 films in Cape Town over the last 12 years, using the city as a location to double up for Dubai, French towns and even Russia.

“We work on about four to five Bollywood films a year. Directors that I have spoken to say Cape Town is like heaven on earth. It’s a similar reason why Hollywood comes here to make films,” says Bawa.

“Plus we have the infrastructure and world class crew.”

Apart from acting and working on Bollywood films as a line producer, Bawa has kept romantics company for more than a decade on local radio stations.

As the well-known Love Doctor, first on KFM radio and now with ‘Smile Love Songs’ on Smile radio station, Bawa plays heart-melting songs every night to an audience interested in that sort of thing.

And it seems Bawa was destined to be the Love Doctor as his name means ‘the beloved’ in Urdu, an Indian language he understands.

It was also perhaps foresight from his paternal grandfather to name him after Indian film director Mehboob Khan who made ‘Mother India’, the first Indian film nominated for an Oscar award.

“I always say it’s thanks to my dad’s dad that I was destined to be in the film business,” says Bawa.

As if all of this is not enough for a hard working freelancer, Bawa also just this month wrapped up filming a TV series for SABC1.

“It’s a boxing drama called Jab, written by a fellow Livingstone High schoolmate Paul Johnson,” he says.

“I play a doctor and that goes on SABC in early 2016.”

Pre-school teachers march for better education

Written by Yazeed Kamaldien

Hundreds of pre-school teachers took to central Cape Town’s streets yesterday to demand government’s support to improve children’s education.

About 600 teachers, all Western Cape members of the national South African Congress Early Childhood Development (SACECD), walked to Parliament to hand over a memorandum outlining their concerns and demands.

A few hundred members of the Western Cape chapter of the South African Congress Early Childhood Development that marched to Parliament in central Cape Town yesterday to highlight their challenges. Picture Yazeed Kamaldien

SACECD represents 1,500 pre-school centres in the province, which prepares 250,000 children for primary school.

Its memorandum raises “numerous concerns and complaints from its members” and was addressed to the departments of social development, health and education.

Randall van den Heever, a director at the national department of basic education, signed receipt of the document. He said the department would respond in 14 days.

“I’m going to submit the memorandum to the department and minister,” said Van den Heever.

SACECD provincial chairwoman Augusta Brandt said early childhood development (ECD) centres were a “public good” but government was not assisting them.

ECD sector challenges include ensuring that teachers have access to relevant qualifications at an affordable cost.

Vanessa Fourie, who teaches children at the Hanover Park Daycare Centre, holds up her poster at a march for better education yesterday. She was among a few hundred members of the Western Cape chapter of the South African Congress Early Childhood Development that marched to Parliament. Picture Yazeed Kamaldien

Most ECD centres in low income areas operate independently and parents of children at these centres are often unable to pay school fees. This meant teachers were often unable to afford upgrading their qualifications.

SACECD’s memorandum recommends that government should “reinstate NGOs to deliver qualification training” for ECD teachers.

“Recognition of prior learning and skills to access further qualifications,” is another recommendation.

SACECD wants government’s assistance to subsidise fees for children and make more sites available in areas where needed. It also wants “funding for toy libraries”.

SACECD adds: “The decision by the department of education to re-allocate all Grade R classes from ECD independent sites to primary schools without consultation and devoid of consideration of the quality work being done, led to ECD practitioners losing employment status.”

Fazlyn Ajam, who runs an ECD centre in Heideveld, said local government officials also needed to make it easier for teachers to register pre-schools.

“You have to apply with the City of Cape Town when you want to open a crèche. The criteria for zoning is ridiculous,” said Ajam.

Melissa Jacobs, who works at an ECD centre in Hanover Park, said government should assist them because “we are developing the brain of a child”.

“We are teaching a child to reach higher goals and heights. Government should empower them too because that is the future of this country,” said Jacobs.

Jacobs said most qualified teachers left the ECD sector to teach at primary schools because salaries were low at pre-schools.

“Our schools are training teachers and then they leave. We can’t pay them,” said Jacobs.

“They would rather work at a government school to get a better salary.”