4/5
- 10 min. from the town center
- area not served by public transportation
- 10 min. from V&A Waterfront
Bo-Kaap (above the Cape in Afrikaans) is an area of Cape Town located on the slopes of Signal Hill above the City Centre. Beyond being one of the most instagramable place of Cape Town, it is first and foremost a place with a strong identity 😎. So let’s start this post by retracing its history.
Under the Dutch occupation, Malays, Indians and Indonesians were taken to Cape Town and put in the township of Bo-Kaap. Today their descendants, called Cape-Malays constituted the majority of the colorful neighborhood’s inhabitants 🌈. Regarding the reason why houses are painted with bright colors, I read and heard so many things. However there was two explanations that regularly came back. The first one was that the houses, initially whites, were covered with colors in order to celebrate the end of slavery. As for the second reason, the inhabitants would have decided a long time ago to color them as a mark of celebration for one of Eid’s holiday.
Currently Bo-Kaap has the most important muslim community of Cape Town. Following the arrival of the British in the 18th century, the slaves were able to gain some rights such as the freedom to adhere to a religion. This led to a return to the roots for some of them or simply a conversion to Islam for others.
Although everything is done to maintain this identity, for years the neighborhood has been a victim of its own success and is facing the issue of gentrification. Now an ultra touristic place and facing pressure from the municipality, a lot of families are selling what was their legacy, worrying others that it might cause the loss of the uniqueness of Bo-Kaap.
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