Exploring the Cape Malay heritage
Capetonian film-maker MIKHAIL ADAM MOTALA opens up about the significance of his journey of discovery in Indonesia
I HAVE been researching content this past month towards my upcoming photo exhibition and documentary on Cape Malay heritage, modern-day culture and the shared connection between South Africa and Indonesia.
My research started in old town Jakarta (Batavia) where early Javanese slaves sailed on Dutch ships to the Cape in the 17th century.
Crossing the country from East to West, my journey ended in Makassar, Sulawesi Island, the homeland of Sheikh Yusuf.
Sheikh Yusuf is considered to be the forefather of Islam in Cape Town. Being banished to Zandvliet farm, Faure, just outside the Cape of Good Hope by the Dutch in the 17th century, where he started the first Muslim community of Cape Town, Zandvliet later named Macassar after his homeland.
My visit to Sheikh Yusuf’s Makam, or Kramat (shrine) in Gowa, outside Makassar, just happened to coincide with Heritage Day. This is where I met Sheikh Yusuf’s greatgreat-great-great-great-grandson, Mujiburahman bin Abd Jalil, who also happens to be the caretaker of the kramat.
He was delighted to hear I was visiting as there is a picture of the Cape Town Kramat on their wall. I gave him my Cape Town bracelet so that he may always remember the connection at the tip of Africa.
Being able to visit Sheikh Yusuf’s Kramat in Makassar, Indonesia, was an unbelievable experience. Hearing the name growing up in the Cape in the masjids has always deeply resonated with me; knowing about the Cape Town Kramat in Macassar off the N2, then hearing the stories as a child from my father Abdullah Motala that Cape Town has a connection in Indonesia. That Sheikh Yusuf was actually from Makassar, Sulawesi island.
I was fascinated about this connection across the ocean. I knew I had to go and visit one day, thus inspiring my journey.
Thankfully, as a photographer/film-maker, I had the means to capture the experience. Being able to travel and shoot in Indonesia was a lifelong dream.
Growing up in Cape Town, half my family and most of my circle of friends are Cape Malay Muslim. Hearing words growing up such as “Terima”, “Kasih”, “Maaf”, “Pwasa”, “Labarang”, “Buka”, “Kanala”, and connecting with them, together with similar traditions there, and discovering their origins, was truly eye-opening.
The journey coincided with Eid-ul-Adha, which I celebrated there. I had set out to travel across the country, exploring all the cultural similarities between the two countries.
Sheikh Yusuf is considered the forefather of Islam in Cape Town
The main goal of his project is to break down barriers, bridging gaps between people; be it most obvious across the ocean, socially and psychologically. I hope to go back to Indonesia next year to complete the filming. I want to get people thinking, even though we may look completely different on the outside being from different continents, we may have so much more in common than we think – if we just dig a little deeper.