By Avery Steadman
What does an 18th century mosque and an “Urban Hub” have in common? They can be found across from one another on the gentrified streets of Bo-Kaap, Cape Town in South Africa. The cold, tall, glass windows of the Urban Hub juxtapose the elegant stone walls of the mosque.
Bo-Kaap village is a famously culturally and racially diverse village, previously known as “the Malay Quarter”. When Islam was brought to the cape in the 17th century, the area became a hub for the teachings of the Qur’an. Pre-apartheid and the Group Areas Act, the neighborhood was predominately Muslim, but also had 40% Christian. Our tour guide Immam reminisced on a time in Bo-Kaap that the Christians and Muslims would enjoy each others celebrations. He said that in the time before the designation of a “Malay” only neighborhood, the Muslims ordered the most hot cross buns on Easter. He said that Muslims could be found in churches on Christmas and the same for Christians at Mosques on Eid.
As we approached the entrance to the Mosque in Bo-Kaap village, our tour guide Immam had a look of pride and honor on his face as he announced that we were about to enter one of the most important pieces of architecture in the town, and that we were lucky to be doing so. The sign above the intricately decorated iron gate door read: Auwal Masjid – Established 1794. Our tour guide noted that he had a special “in” and he was the only guide that was able to take visitors into this special mosque. Before entering the mosque, Immam spoke to us about the struggle Bo Kaap, a traditionally Muslim community, rich with strong familial and religious ties, is currently facing.
I’d first heard the term gentrification during a visit to New York City as a child. At that time, my mother was talking about poor neighborhoods that were becoming wealthy and it sounded like a beautiful transformation of run down old buildings. It sounded like a positive upgrade for a neighborhood. However, as Immam talked about the gentrification within the Bo Kaap neighborhood – I realized there is another side to the gentrification story. There is also the story of a neighborhood being stripped of its original and vibrant culture.
After the fall of Apartheid, Bo Kaap quickly became a real estate gold mine for its excellent location close to the waterfront, as well as the beauty of the colorful homes and cobblestone streets. The houses that have been in families for generations, considered slums at a time before, are now being offered millions of rand in order to sell. However, many feel too sentimental and connected to their homes. For example from an article on the Mail&Gaurdian Website, Mustafa Salie, a 70 year old that has lived in the same Bo-Kaap his whole life would find it to be a crime to sell his family’s house. On the other hand, the younger generation is almost being forced to move out because they are not able to afford the same standard of living in Bo-Kaap as they would in another area. The housing rates increased significantly in Cape Town because if a less wealthy person lives next to a house that was just sold for R2milion, the value of the neighborhood goes up which in turn raises homeowner rates for the original resident. If the rates are too high, they would be forced to sell, as well.
A quote from the Cradle of Human Kind Museum comes to mind: “A global human society based on poverty for many and prosperity for a few characterized by islands of wealth, surrounded by a sea of poverty, is unsustainable.” – Thabo Meki, President of South Africa, Opening World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, 2002. Poverty is often a bi-product of wealth, and this is clearly evident in the streets of Bo-Kaap. Corporate greed, and greed of the wealthy is currently stealing the culture of Bo-Kaap, and while it may now be rich in rand, the culture is slowly becoming poor.
The largest degradation of the heritage of the community is a bar that was to be put in next to a 300 year old mosque. Our tour guide was very upset about this situation in particular. The Abantu Bar was extremely upsetting to many members of the community. Osman Shaboodien, the chairperson of the Bo-Kaap Civic Association said at a meeting in order to discuss what the community must do about the situation: “This is not something that we must look at as only a bar issue. We must see this as a regeneration of the younger generation and a regeneration of ourselves. We must not be silent anymore! This has everything to do with the moral degeneration of a society that is slowly penetrating here.” Our tour guide shared the same view. They both believe that the government should not allow for a bar to be opened next to a Mosque. This sparked my attention specifically, because I usually believe in the separation of business and religion, however, it is evident that corporate greed in this case is severely hurting a community with strong moral values.
So, if you owned a family home in the Bo-Kaap neighborhood and were offered R2million ($121,200) would you sell the house? Or would you cherish the cultural integrity of the area and face the higher rates?
