 it is known as iKapa and for those of us who grew up on the Cape Flats, it is simply "die Toun". Probably, the most popular name given to Cape Town is that of "The Mother City" -- based on the obscure notion that this is where the colonialists first arrived and it is thus Cape Town that "gave birth" to the country that was eventually called South Africa. In recent years, a new name has made it to the list -- the Divided City -- reflecting not only the physical and spatial divisions between various communities created by the many years of apartheid rule, but also the cultural, political and economic divisions. While there has been more integration between communities at least at a superficial level, the city remains deeply divided along colour, economic, religious and cultural lines. It is almost as if the various communities have deliberately insulated themselves and the extent to which interaction takes place, it is often conflictual or based on ignorance. Along comes Ryland Fisher, editor of the daily morning paper -- the Cape Times -- and he launches a project which strikes at the very heart of these divisions. The project is known as the One City, Many Cultures Campaign and it focuses on bridging the gaps between the people of Cape Town by providing information about the various communities living in Cape Town -- their customs and traditions, religious beliefs and rites and is a celebration of the rich and diverse heritage of the people who make up the city of Cape Town. In a climate of despair and ever-increasing fatalism about the future of South Africa, this project instills hope and inspiration. Unlike the prophets of doom who seemingly cannot get enough of telling us that the country is going to the dogs, Ryland has chosen to help us acknowledge, accept and celebrate our diversity as a city and as a nation. It is this kind of hope and inspiration that we need more than anything else, if we are going to construct a city in which our children and their children will no longer live in the Divided City, but in the Cape of Good Hope (for the country and for the people of South Africa). |