District Six

Province

District Six ( Afrikaans Distrik Ses) was the name of the sixth district created in 1867 in Capetown, South Africa. This district served mainly freed slaves, merchants, artists, workers and immigrants as places to live, because District Six was near the city center and the harbor. The forceful eviction and destruction of existing multi-ethnic, cultural center city district from the late 1960s and re-designated as a "white" neighborhood is one of the prime examples of the inhuman, racist policy of apartheid.

History

As the policy of exclusion was stronger at the beginning of the 20th century, had to leave the area, especially blacks. With the increase in racial segregation attracted more and more wealthy people from District Six in the southern suburbs. The district was considered a multicultural center and attracted numerous artists, such as jazz musicians and painters like Kenneth Baker, who portrayed the District Six. Based on the Group Areas Act of 1950, the government declared around 1966 District Six a " white zone " because allegedly ran too much crime from the district. 1968 ordered the government to the forced relocation of blacks and coloreds. The district has been completely cleared and the houses demolished. The citizens were, depending on the skin color, resettled in the townships in the Cape Flats, a sand plains east of the city at that time. By 1982, as more than 60,000 people from District Six were expelled. The area should be settled by whites, it remained largely undeveloped until today.

In 2003, nine years after the official end of apartheid, the government had built 24 new homes. On 11 February 2004 Nelson Mandela handed the aged returnees Ebrahim Murat and Dan Ndzabela the first key. 2005, the country was completely measured and assigned the newly built houses. The area is today (2011 ) is partly fallow land, but some areas are among the districts zonnebloem or Walmer Estate and are resettled. Gradually, to create a "new" District Six.

Aftermath

A literary monument to the District Six was created by the South African writer who was born there, Alex La Guma with his short novel A Walk in the Night (1962).

Opened in 1994, " District Six Museum " in the Buitenkant Street 25 in Cape Town offers a glimpse into the lives of people from demolition.

Musically reminiscent of the District Six Brian Abrahams with his eponymous band to jazz musicians such as the District Six from the originating Mervyn Africa, Chris McGregor, Jim Dvorak, Dill Katz and later Steve Lodder, Louise Elliot and Hilton are signs.

The science fiction film District 9 is inspired by the district and the operations at the time of apartheid.