Discovering the heritage of Cape Town means exploring the many dynamic histories that have shaped the cultural contours of the city. Evidence of these diverse histories is found not only in museums and archives but everywhere - in language, architecture, religion, dress, food, art, music and dance, as well as the changing physical landscape. Climate and weather patterns have played a role in the shaping of the city. The seasonal flux of wet winters and dry summers, the opposite of rainfall in the interior, influenced local life-styles. Against the ever-present backdrop of Table Mountain, the hybrid heritage of the city can be traced to complex interactions among indigenous people and immigrants to the Cape from other parts of Africa, Europe and Asia.
The earliest known human footprints at the Cape, dating back over 100 000 years, were found near the present Langebaan Lagoon. The archaeological shell-middens along the West Coast, suggest that from the earliest times sea-food was important in the diet of Capetonians. We know that for many thousands of years hunter-gatherers were living in caves along the Cape coast and moving inland seasonally in search of game. By about 2000 years ago sheep-herders were present in the region of De Kelders near Gansbaai.
Streams from Table Mountain provided fresh water and pastoralists seasonally grazed their herds in the valley. From the early 1500s Portuguese traders sailing to India used the Cape as a refreshment base en route to the East. Local Khoekhoe resisted attempts by these and later outsiders to steal their cattle and encroach on their grazing land. When Van Riebeeck arrived at the Cape in 1652, the Khoekhoe were wary and, as the Dutch settlement expanded and became more permanent, relations with the local inhabitants did not improve. The Dutch East India Company (known as the VOC) exercised its power over the local inhabitants from the Castle, Cape Town's oldest surviving colonial building. It was both fort and seat of government, as well as the Governor's residence and home to officials, soldiers and slaves.
The first shipment of slaves arrived in Cape Town as early as 1658. In 1679 Company slaves were moved to the Slave Lodge at the top of the Heerengracht (now Adderley Street). Until the early nineteenth century, when the building was converted to government offices, the Lodge housed the slaves of the VOC. Slavery was finally abolished in 1834. The history of slavery at the Cape will be commemorated in a museum that is currently being planned.
The Cape was also a place of exile. Among the early political exiles who were banished to the Cape were Islamic religious leaders from the East Indies. Over time Islam became one of the major religions practised at the Cape. In 1688 the French Huguenots fleeing religious persecution in Europe settled in the valley now known as Franschoek. As Dutch power waned during the 18th century, the British set their sights on the Cape. When the British occupied the Cape in 1795 and again in 1806 they introduced a range of new cultural practices to the city. By 1825 when the South African Museum was founded, Cape Town was already a city of many languages and cultures. During the nineteenth century the population grew as industrialization and immigration increased, while the building of railways and the docks changed the infrastructure of the city.
Cape Town, like that of the rest of South Africa, reveals the legacy of colonialism and apartheid. The impact of laws passed to enforce racial segregation is etched on the landscape. The scarred terrain of District Six, the burgeoning townships on the Cape Flats and the mainly white southern suburbs are part of this legacy. Acknowledging this aspect of South African history is aimed at building a more equitable future.
Post-apartheid museums, like the District Six Museum, have become places where displaced communities can reclaim their heritage. Museums are increasingly places of living history and storytelling rather than static display. Iziko Museums of Cape Town, with its fifteen sites including the South African Museum, the Planetarium and the South African National Gallery, reflects the natural and cultural diversity of South Africa. Here visitors to Cape Town can explore the rich heritage of the subcontinent, from San rock art to the stars of the southern sky.
