We were moved to hear the story of a once vibrant mixed and multi-religious area of Cape Town known as District 6. Our tour guide, Joe, grew up in District Six with tolerance and respect for his neighbors.
In 1966, District Six was declared a white group area. By 1982, the life of that community was over and 60,000 were forceably removed, their houses flattened by bulldozers, to barren outlying area aptly know as the Cape Flats.
The museum uses story telling as a way of recovering the memory of forced removals. The goal is "to rekindle the fires of community, mobilize the spirit of giving and sharing, of laughter, of life lived in homes and public spaces, of creativity and volunteerism that was the cornerstone of the old area, a spirit called Kanala."
The Museum has photographs and memorabilia from District Six as wells as street maps. Many of the maps are now signed by the people who were forceably removed and now returned to the Museum. The Museum provides a connection to the old community, now divided and separated at several Townships.
- Bob & Bonnie Hester
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