The view from a Bo-Kaap balcony
The Unique Cape Malay Culture of Bo‑Kaap
We were on a walking tour organised by City Sightseeing Cape Town, and our guide was Stian, an enthusiastic Namibian. “This tour is very special to me,” he said, explaining that Cape Town has two major tourist destinations (Table Mountain and the V&A; Waterfront) but that Bo‑Kaap is very different. It has no big shops and no fast food restaurants; instead it has a unique and unspoilt culture. Because of this, said Stian, it was important for people to learn about the area and to help to preserve it.
As we walked around he described some of the culture to us. In the 18th century the growing colony of South Africa needed skilled overseas workers and a number of Malays (from across South East Asia and not just Malaysia) were brought to Cape Town as slaves. They lived in the houses of Bo‑Kaap (literally “Upper Cape”) and, despite the harsh working conditions, they soon created a vibrant community. Music, and in particular a new style known as Cape Jazz, was central to their culture. Slaves were only allowed one day off a year – 2 January – and they would celebrate this day with a big festival. The tradition is still observed today: we passed a tree decorated with ribbons, left over from this year’s festival.
Trees are decorated with ribbons during the annual festival in January
The Houses of Bo‑Kaap
The brightly decorated houses of Bo-Kaap
Murals depict the traditional way of life in Bo-Kaap
Mosques and Restaurants
Auwal Mosque, the oldest in South Africa
There are restaurants in the Bo‑Kaap, too, serving classic Cape Malay food, and Stian pointed out a shop selling a whole array of traditional spices. Unfortunately for us, it was a Sunday, and the shops and restaurants were all closed. We would have to try Cape Malay cuisine another time
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My novel “Shadow of the Dome”
I enjoyed reading about Bo-Kaap. I am a fan of walking tours which provide a history of the area. I love the colourful houses.
How amazing I knew nothing of this history. I love Malay food so it would be interesting to try it and see how similar/different it is.
I love walking tours too – even in an area that you already know you can always learn something new.
We didn't get to try much Cape Malay food but what we did have wasn't quite the same as the food we had in Malaysia. Not so much chilli for one thing!
I never knew that Cape Town had slaves who were Malays. Wow. What a wonderful walking tour to have taken and a great opportunity to learn more about the history of the area.
Fascinating! This is a part of the world I have not yet experienced, and now I have another great–and colorful–reason to visit Cape Town.
We visited Cape Town a few months ago and walked through Bo-Kaap. It's an interesting part of a beautiful and interesting city with a fraught history. We learned about the enslavement of Malays at the Slave House in central Cape Town. Nice photos!
Yes, I learnt a lot from it.
There are lots of good reasons to visit Cape Town!
It's a very interesting area but, as you say, some of the history can be quite harrowing.
Looks like a great walking tour~
Love the colorful homes.
We loved wandering around Bo-Kaap as well with all the colourful houses. We will take that any day over the V & A which we didn't enjoy very much. We didn't do the walking tour but just wandered all around by ourselves. A Muslim friend of ours was able to give us a lot of the history of that area as well. I am so glad that you took the time to see it.
I've never been to Cape Town, but I will certainly want to visit colorful Bo‑Kaap when I do get there. I am inspired to put some colorful ribbons on my own trees and just might do it!
Yes, it was very enjoyable.
I agree with you about the V&A; – there's nothing about it that makes it unique to Cape Town whereas Bo-Kaap is quite unlike anywhere else. It must have been very interesting going around with someone who knew the area well.
Sounds a fun way to liven up your garden during winter!