Cape Town information, history, culture,
Cape of Good Hope, tourism, holiday, restaurants, accommodation,
guest houses, villas, flats.
Known as the "Cape of Storms" among seafarers, the Cape's
fascinating recent history is reflected in its stormy past. Fortunately,
the Cape is also well known as "The Cape of Good Hope",
dubbed by Portuguese explorer Bartholomew Diaz when he first set
foot on Cape soil in 1488.
Cape Town is the cradle of South African history. It started with
the first European occupation of the Cape in 1652 when Jan van Riebeeck
of the Dutch East India Company arrived here to establish a replenishment
station for the company's vessels on their way to the Indies. From
here onwards many cultures contributed to the colourful mix of what
today is known as South Africa's 'Rainbow Nation'.
A visit to the oldest building in South Africa, the Castle of
Good Hope built between 1666 and 1679, is an interesting window
on Cape Town's early beginnings.
Shortly after the Dutch occupation slaves from Malaysia, India,
Madagascar, the Philippines and east Africa were imported by the
Dutch East India Company as labour. Despite many efforts by the
Dutch to oppress the new arrivals' way of life, language and religion,
many proud traditions live on today in the Cape Malay culture. One
of the most intact buildings from the slave era is the Slave Lodge
in Adderley Street (South African Cultural History museum).
The French Huguenots and British added a great amount of flair
to South Africa's cultural legacy when they arrived in the Cape
around the turn of the 18th century. A significant example is South
Africa's great wine tradition given impetus by the French. Traces
of Britain's influences are visible in daily life.
A dark spot on the historical timeline is the Apartheid era marking
South Africa's years of cultural and racial segregation from 1948
to 1990, the year in which Nelson Mandela was released after 27
years in prison. Today places such as Robben Island, where Mandela
was incarcerated for 18 years, and townships such as Langa, Gugulethu
and Khayelitsha serve as harsh reminders of a nation under siege.
Current efforts to resettle the 1960 exiled occupants of the vibrant
black and coloured District Six to their original land are tangible
examples of a country in the process of building a new future based
on peace and acceptance.
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