Castle now a symbol of hope
TRANSFORMATION is more than a 14-letter word as it takes a combination of a shifting of mindsets and physical, structural and infrastructural changes to fully realise the dream of a united Rainbow Nation.
The Castle of Good Hope, which commemorates the 350th anniversary of the laying of its foundation stone this weekend, is a prime example of how that transformation can be brought about.
From being a symbol of colonialism – it is the oldest colonial building in the country – a symbol of oppression, housing no fewer than two colonial seats of power, and a place where the human rights and dignity of those deemed savages by the early settlers in the Cape were grossly abused, the castle now stands as a proud example of how these colonial spaces can be transformed.
Strolling through the courtyards in the castle, believed to be haunted by the souls who had died within its walls as a result of torture, one is met with a sense of tranquillity, as the large Boulonnais draft horses and a herd of goats graze idly.
In the same wing as the torture chamber – where gross atrocities were committed and slaves kept as awaiting-trial prisoners were forced to sleep on the cold sandstone and seashell floor, crammed with as many as 30 of them into a 3m² space – is an art gallery where African art is display.
The slave lodge chambers below the connecting arm between the bastions where the colonial governors lived now houses a museum of priceless artefacts, including the original pair of clay lions which adorned the main entrance to the castle.
Statues representing local heroes who stood up to British rule – Kings Cetshwayo, Sekhukhune and Langalibalele – and another of the KhoiKhoi interpreter Doman, who led the country’s first battle for independence against the Dutch, prove the castle can also serve as a place of reconciliation.
As the celebrations take place at the castle this weekend, it is important to remember its name, the Castle of Good Hope, and to note the fact that as it sheds its mantle of colonial oppression, it can don a new one of hope.