Ruins hold histories but are less than the sum of the sensibilities of people who live in them. Instead we might turn to ruins as epicentres of renewed claims, as history in a spirited voice, as sites that animate new possibilities, bids for entitlement, and unexpected political projects. (Stoler 2008)
Abstract
This article gives an account of the praxis of Cape Town’s District Six Museum in relation to the restitution and redevelopment of District Six. During South Africa’s apartheid regime, District Six was declared a whites-only area according the Group Areas Act of 1966. Colored and black inhabitants were forcibly removed and their houses were destroyed on the grounds of slum clearance. Twenty years into democracy, we can think of how the materiality of shattered landscape presents ways of connecting to degraded personhoods, in the past and the present. This article portrays how the museum tackles the challenge of naming the heritage of District Six outside the logic of Cape Town as a global city. It points to two moments in which the museum self-consciously put a counter-practice in place against the grain of dominant discourses that give shape to Cape Town.
Résumé
Cet article rend compte de la praxis du musée de District Six du Cap en ce qui concerne la restitution et le réaménagement de District Six. Pendant le régime de l’apartheid de l’Afrique du Sud, District Six fut déclaré zone qui ne devait être habitée que par les Blancs, selon la loi sur l’habitat séparé de 1966. Les habitants de couleur et les habitants noirs furent expulsés et leurs maisons détruites au seul motif de démolir les taudis. Après vingt ans de démocratie, nous pouvons réfléchir à la façon dont l’importance relative du paysage dévasté présente des pistes pour se connecter, dans le passé et le présent, à des identités individuelles détruites. Cet article décrit comment le musée aborde la difficulté de nommer l’héritage de District Six, en dehors de la logique du Cap comme ville mondiale. Il révèle deux moments où le musée a délibérément mis en place une contre-pratique s’opposant aux discours dominants qui façonnent Le Cap.
Resumen
El presente artículo da cuenta de la praxis del Museo del Distrito Seis de Ciudad del Cabo en relación con la restitución y remodelación del Distrito Seis. Durante el régimen del apartheid en Sudáfrica, el Distrito Seis fue declarado un área sólo para blancos según la Ley de Áreas de Grupo de 1966. Los habitantes negros y de color fueron desalojados a la fuerza y sus casas fueron destruidas en base a la erradicación de barrios de chabolas. Después de veinte años en democracia, podemos pensar en cómo la materialidad del destrozado paisaje presenta formas de conectarse a identidades degradadas, en el pasado y en el presente. Este artículo retrata cómo el museo aborda el desafío de nombrar el patrimonio del Distrito Seis fuera de la lógica de Ciudad del Cabo como una ciudad global. Señala dos momentos en los que el museo conscientemente estableció una contra-práctica contra la tendencia de los discursos dominantes que dan forma a Ciudad del Cabo.
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Ernsten, C. The Ruins of Cape Town’s District Six. Arch 11, 342–371 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11759-015-9281-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11759-015-9281-z