Bo-Kaap

Day 4: Sunday,  19 February, 2012

After breakfast, we departed for our first "township" tour.
The "Bo-Kaap" (Afrikaans: Upper Cape) is quintessentially a Township, situated on the slopes of Signal Hill above the city center and is an historical center of Cape Malay culture in Cape Town.

What street is this?

Table Mountain in your backyard

Il Duce silhouette

Up Wale Street

Many of the inhabitants are descendants of people from Indonesia (Batavia), Sri Lanka (Ceylon), India and Malaysia amongst others, who, were captured in the 17th and 18th century and enslaved by the Dutch East India Company (VOC). (An estimated 63000 slaves were imported between the mid 17th century and 19th century which included people from Zanzibar, Madagascar, Angola and Mozambique). The Cape Malays have preserved much of their cultural and Muslim identity to this day.

Let's stay neutral

Further up Wale St, Signal Hill in background

DO NOT TOUCH

Inviting aroma

Great curb appeal

Universal parking brake

Looking down Chiappini St

Slate veranda

There is a strong Muslim influence - more than 90% of the people who live here are Muslim - as many of the early slaves were Muslim scholars and religious leaders, as well as craftsmen and artisans. This is a result of the apartheid era when the Bo-Kaap was declared an exclusively Cape Muslim residential area, and people of other religions and ethnicity were forced to leave.

Masjied Boorhaanol Mosque, 1 of 10 in the neighborhood

Side Entry