After the hauntingly sweeping views of the Table Mountain, we got onto the vintage World War II chauffeured sidecars and toured in the city of Cape Town for two hours. My chauffeur Tim had a lovely dog Brady, who insisted on taking the ride with me. We raced on the streets, as Brady’s fur gently caressed my cheek. We drove past the Castle of Good Hope (built in the 17th century, it is the best-preserved example of a Dutch East India Company fort), Houses of Parliament and the Company’s Garden (created in 1650’s by the first European settlers, it is a park and heritage site).
Then we headed to Sea Point, Cape Town’s most affluent and densely populated suburb. At Camp’s Bay, another affluent suburb, we took a break to enjoy the scenic ocean vistas as Brady ran and played on the beach sand.
Then happened Bo-Kaap. It is the prettiest neighbourhood in Cape Town with houses that are swathed in loveliest colours, standing on romantic cobbled streets from the 18th century. It is neither upmarket nor is it a posh quarter of Cape Town filled with mansions.
But it seemed to be the most photogenic place where houses were like colourful birds perched in a row. The Bo-Kaap, formerly known as the Malay Quarter is situated on the slopes of Signal Hill above the city centre. It is the traditional home of Cape Town’s Muslim population since the second half of the eighteenth century. The houses are a mixture of Cape Dutch and Cape Georgian architectural styles and this, combined with the Islamic faith, culture and eastern origin of the majority of its inhabitants, give the Bo-Kaap a setting that visitors find both captivating and exotic.
Descendants of indentured labour brought by the Dutch from various Asian (mostly Malaysia and Indonesia) and African countries, during the 16th and 17th centuries, these slaves were generally called “Cape Malays”, though not all of them were of Malaysian origin. When the British took over Cape Town from the Dutch in 1795, the slave trade was abolished. When their slavery ended, they acquired religious freedom and the newly emancipated slaves formed a new community at Bo-Kaap. The founders of this community were the first to bring Islam to South Africa.
Intermarriages between slaves from East Indies with those from India, Madagascar, and native African groups created a distinctive Cape Malay culture. It is said that many local women converted to Islam and married Muslim men, as they are teetotallers and made “trouble free” husbands. People in the Cape Malay community speak mostly Afrikaans and English, with Malay words and phrases thrown in. Bo-Kaap’s multifaceted heritage is reflected in its music, dance and food too.
Adaptations of traditional foods such as tomato bredie, bobotie, sosaties and koeksisters which are the staples in many South African homes originated from Cape Malay cuisine, which in itself is a fusion of many cuisines.
‘Bo-Kaap Kombuis’ (Kitchen) is a place everyone recommends for an authentic Cape Malay meal. Their starters reminded me of home: samosas (just like our alu samosas), rolls, dalchies (similar to Indian spinach and moong dal pakoras), and patatawaras (like our batata wada back home). The Indian influence in the main courses too is evident due to generations of widespread intermarriage and union between the two communities.
Yusuf Larney runs the joint with his wife Nazli who is a third generation Indian from Gujarat while Yusuf’s great grandfather came from Ireland. His forefathers married people from the Eastern countries and were integrated into Cape Malay culture. Speaking of Bo-Kaap, he said “90% of the population here is Muslim while the other 10% are Christians, Hindus and Indians. We all live with absolutely no conflict, it is the safest area in the whole of S A. We welcome inter marriages. We respect each other: we believe in sitting across the table and talk to each other first to sort out problems than first go and kill each other.”
I took a stroll down the road, feasting my eyes on every house. As we walked along, JP threw light on the brightly coloured houses on either side of the street, which, he said, is a recent innovation that celebrates the district’s Muslim identity. “In earlier days, all the houses of Cape Town were painted white. Then the residents of Bo-Kaap began painting their houses in vivid colours in preparation for the celebration of Eid. Neighbours would often agree on what colours to use so as not to have a clash of shades - in fact, the colours complement each other and act as landmarks as well. But sometimes, to outdo others, some clever residents paint their house a different colour overnight and surprise the neighbours!”
Of course, the last statement seemed a big joke, his own fiction, like most guides of his ilk. His jokes were often followed by his huge guffaws and gurgling laughter, hinting us to take the cue. JP made our Cape Town visit a huge fun, in fact, as huge as his enormous frame!
(The author is a documentary filmmaker and travel writer; she blogs at ijayaprataptravelandbeyond.com)