Ramadaan event welcomes all
Aims to bring different communities together
HISTORY: The Castle of Goodhope is the venue for this year’s Ramadaan For All Exhibition.
THE Spice Mecca Ramadaan For All Exhibition intends to bring people from the Western Cape and outside the province together. The event will be held at the Castle of Goodhope from May4-6. Visitors can expect to see an exhibit of the Qur’an hand written by Tuan Guru. The event will also feature one of the top scholars of Qur’an, Shaykh Dr Ahmed Naina from Egypt.
Spice Mecca chief executive Shreef Abass said the exhibition would bring people from different walks of life together.
“The event is taking on a real momentum in all different communities because of the theme we have, which is one of inclusiveness. The whole name of the event is in actual fact an ubuntu emotion.”
Organisers of the exhibition are inviting everyone to join them to begin the month of Ramadaan in a united fashion, he said.
“We want them to experience those hunger pangs so they are able to feel the feelings of the poor. Imagine the whole of Cape Town fasting for the first day and giving to those in need, imagine how that would change lives.”
He said that while Capetonians brought in the numbers, people from as far as KwaZuluNatal came to the event.
“We are reaching out to different communities by advertising on different platforms.”
Abass said the world needed more events where people looked past their differences and came together.
“We have so much conflict and otherness and we cannot go that route, and we see now that on social media suddenly the broader demographic are starting to interact with us. We need to bring about what needs to be a common humanity.”
Castle of Good Hope chief executive Calvyn Gilfellan said about 30 000 people were expected to attend.
“Traditionally the Castle has been associated with colonial oppression. These kind of events are turning that narrative around. People from slave descent can come and not only hear about the horrible stories of their forebears. We are trying to put up foundations of inclusivity.”
He said that for the first time in 350 years, the Muslim prayer would be broadcast at the Castle.