Africville and District Six Savanah Williams

President, URLLLI

Wayne PattersonSenior Fellow, Howard University

Howard University, September 18, 2001

Africville and District Six

the forcible removal of people of colour from two relatively stable and peaceful communities to meet local political needs

District SixCape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

AfricvilleHalifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Africville Today Seaview Park

District Six Today Cape Technikon

Established Communities District Six

Settled in mid-19th century Originally a working class

neighbourhood “rich cultural life in its

narrow alleys and crowded tenements”

Africville Many residents of the

community of Africville came to Halifax from the United States after the War of 1812

It was a working class community where almost everyone owned their own homes, few were on welfare and unlocked doors were common.

Economic Status District Six

“impoverished but lively community … predominantly coloured Muslims

“rich place of the South African imagination, inspiring novels, poems, jazz”

Africville It was an isolated

community reflecting more of a rural community than city.

a store, a school, and a post office

most important institution in the community was the church

Stratification within Communities/Societies

District Six Although predominantly

coloured, one of the few multiracial communities

Africville Nova Scotia, like the

rest of Canada, was a province that practiced discrimination in every aspect of its society

One’s status in the church defined the various levels of stratification rather than occupation.

Government Rationale District Six

legislation existed known as the Group Areas Act

February 11, 1966, the South African government, through the Minister of Community Development (P. W. Botha, later President) and the Minister of Planning, invoked the Group Areas Act to declare all of District Six a white area

Africville Africville residents had

been petitioning the city for services available to other residents of Halifax

Eventually the lack of basic services became a part of the Government’s rationale for the destruction of the community

Patterns of Removal District Six

Most of the approximately 20 000 people who have been removed from their homes have been moved to the bleak townships on the wastes of the Cape Flats

Africville a community that had

been too often viewed as “an eyesore” with a population that was considered marginal

On several occasions, the city sent the garbage dump truck to transport furniture.

The Destruction of District Six A view of the demolition

District Six – Then and Now

Resettlement Plans District Six

Most residents had to move to the townships in the area known as the Cape Flats, to very standard and unattractive housing.

Cape Flats are 15 to 30 kilometers from downtown Cape Town

Africville existence of extended

families either in residence or space was prevalent in Africville.

individuals and families moved in stages, some continued private home ownership, while others availed themselves of government subsidized rental apartments.

Impact on Family Structure District Six

distances from one township to another in the Cape Flats could be considerable, and public transportation was unavailable.

District Six was small enough in area (a total of 150 acres) that persons could walk from one end to the other.

Africville Although some residents

relocated near downtown Halifax, others were forced to go to distant rural communities

Location in Community District Six

District Six is located approximately five kilometers west of the central business district of Cape Town.

at the foot of Table Mountain, and adjacent to the current community of Woodstock.

Africville Africville is

approximately five kilometers east of the main downtown of Halifax, near the site of the current MacKay bridge to Dartmouth

On the Bedford Basin

Image in Community District Six

Irwin Combrinck : "The existence of District Six was the very antithesis of the Nationalist Party's ideology of white superiority and white separateness. It is for that main reason that District Six had to be destroyed."

Africville What is seen by more

often by one who lives in a community is not the physical but the spiritual.

Threats of relocation were so common that when the relocation plan was presented, it was difficult for people to accept.

Education – Formal District Six

the only major development in this formerly vital region is the Cape Technikon.

opened in 1980, was originally for whites only

Africville only within the past

generation have the members of the Black community begun to receive college degrees

Protest Movements District Six

HODS (Hands Off District Six Committee)

Africville the strongest protest may be

the Joe Sealy’s “Africville Suite”, which won the JUNO Award for “Best Contemporary Jazz Album” almost 30 years after the community was destroyed

Conclusions

Despite the differences in legislationPublic attitudesDemocratic structure International acceptance

What was the difference in fact for the residents of Africville and District Six???