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| Cape Malay Heritage Exhibition |
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On 26 and 27 April 2008, the South End Museum hosted the Cape Malay Heritage Exhibition. The motivation behind such an exhibition was to highlight the various communities that make up the present Nelson Mandela Bay society and to cultivate an appreciation of the positive and significant influence such  communities had on shaping our society. The Cape Malay Heritage Committee was established so that they could put together an exhibition in which the history and development of this community could be aptly and sensitively portrayed to the public. This committee was made up of people who could identify with the culture, as well as with the challenges faced by those who endured the Apartheid regime. This exhibition’s aim was to focus on the harmonious sense of community that was displayed by the Cape Malays and other non-white racial groups towards one another in the old Port Elizabeth and surrounds. Old South End was known for the array of cultures all living in peace in one relatively small area. These people respected one another, both on an individual and on a group basis. The South End Museum reflected these cultures and the mutual respect that existed through an exhibition on just one of these groups. The exhibition covered Business, Education, Religion, Sports, Arts and Culture, Politics and Resistance. Mr Ebrahim Rhoda was the guest speaker of the evening and provided a perspective that was both touching and realistic. The knowledge gained by learning from a culture and society such as that which existed in Old South End and which is evident when exploring just one facet of this community (i.e. the Cape Malays) provides an important lesson to us today. This should be one of tolerance for other cultures, religions, colours and genders. |
