Castle to welcome all cultures in SA
ABOUT 350 years after its establishment, staff at the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town said they were looking to change its history, making it a place where all South Africans can feel welcome.
“We want all South Africans to feel that this is their castle,” said Oeri !gais
“The Castle belongs to blacks, Indians, so-called coloureds, whites and to descendants of the indigenous people. I want everyone to know the Castle is theirs – and they are welcome here.”
Acting as master of ceremonies at the Castle’s Heritage Day celebrations, !gais said observing so many people from diverse backgrounds made him proud.
“I am a man of culture and I love my heritage. Seeing so many people here celebrating their own culture makes me very happy,” he said.
!gais, a Griqua who was born near the !amka river, arrived in Cape Town during the apartheid era when he was 18.
“Today, I can enjoy my freedom and I hope that all South Africans will also enjoy theirs here at the Castle. We want them here,” he said. “This is our land. We live here together and we shall share this together.”
South Africans also celebrating their heritage and culture like !gais at the Castle included Aaron and Roseline Messelaar of Elsies River. They, too, are Griquas.
“My favourite part of my heritage is the tradition of hokmeisie,” said Roseline.
“This is when a young girl becomes a woman and she is taken to a room by all the older aunties where she stays for two to three weeks.”
Afterwards, the same women will take the young girl to a fountain into which a herb “buchu” is thrown. “The buchu is for the water snake and the older women will talk to the snake,” said Roseline. “When the snake sees the girl is now a woman, it splashes water over the girl’s head.”
Amanda Moore said she was a South African and chose not to identify with any particular race or ethnicity.
“I enjoy knowing I have aspects of various cultures to celebrate,” she said.
Proud of his specific traditions was Litha Mpondwana, who identified himself as amaHlubi, a sub-clan of the Nguni nation.
“I am proud in that I have grown up in a family that continues traditions, which have been long held in my culture,” he said.
Phathunzi Didi, also an amaHlubi, said he was proud of the songs and dance of his people, who were part of the Castle’s entertainment for the day.
While many other South Africans enjoyed interacting with others – such as Didi, Mpondwana, Moore, Messelaar, and !gais – Castle staff said it was time the narrative of the country’s oldest colonial building changed.
Through a series of summer concerts, the Castle was hoping to change its image. Known for bloodshed and slavery, staff said through the “Afrofeel” concerts – which would begin next month – they hoped the landmark would become a place of nation building. – ANA