Creative Cape Town

photo by Yasser Booley

@Lydia Williams Centre For Memory, Chapel Street, District Six
24^th September 2010

We’re sitting in a colossal cave. To the left, rock paintings of eland dance in droves; to the right, an open landscape is scattered with stones.

Stand-in Chair, Prof. HC Jatti Bredekamp adjusts his mic. The screen lights up. This is the ‘Commemoration of the 500 Years since the Khoi-San Almeida Confrontation of 1510’ and we are exploring multiple identities.

We’ve come a fair way from the days of objectifying Saartjie Baartman as specimen instead of recognising her as human, but we haven’t come all the way.  It is satisfying to note, though, as we settle into our seats, that descendents of the ethnic group featured behind glass with glazed eyes are standing on the other side of it now, in the flesh, with bright eyes. They are here to speak and listen. I am here to learn.

Near me, a wizened man with deeply lined, leathery skin, faded grey dreadlocks and the smell of African herbs about his person rests his chin on a handmade walking stick. A little girl next to me peeps sweetly from between painted fingernails and plaited pigtails.  The quaint contrasts are curdled by the real reason we are here – to commemorate the first invasion and deprivation of Khoi identity at the hands of Portuguese forces in battle 1510. That sounds morbid, but it was actually a victory for indigenous people. Portuguese troops kidnapped children to force locals to barter and were defeated by the angered, land-based community.  The victory was temporary, however, as colonialism, apartheid and capitalism had their way with the first proudly South Africa people. Today descendents are still fighting to protect their children. The weapons are made with words now, and so, too, are the peace deals.

“The question of identity is a burning question,” says Desmond Sampson, deputy Chairperson of the Khoi and Boesman National Assembly.  He’s addressing everyone in the room and, by proxy , everyone in the country, on the continent, and on the planet. His focus for today’s gathering of guests is ‘Building Effective Structures To Achieve Self Determination’ in the context of the assembly. He speaks with conviction and insight, and is followed by an academic, a media representative and an independent museum spokesperson, each with their own insights and opinions to contribute. They don’t always align, and the audience doesn’t always agree. But we are here to discuss, and even engage in what the charismatic and diplomatic Prof. Bredekamp dubs “robust debate”, but not to impose our views on others.

Overall, the aims and ends cited were to discuss and debate Khoi identities, promote the political and academic understanding and positioning of this identity, and “express in civil terms our anger and our disappointment ” at being ostracised by government and wider South African Society.

The Khoi people  - the “first” people of this part of the world, are genetically distinct from the Bantu tribes that migrated south on the continent. The Khoi had their own culture, language and religion, evidently matriarchal and non-violent. Time and consequence led to changes in culture, community and character until today we can say that we know the  Māori war dance, but not the Nama Voetstap.

In discussion, the panel and the audience came across the confusion regarding names. Putting words to spirit and substance is never simple. The terms Khoi (and its many variations), San, their amalgamation Khoi-San, and the nickname “boesman” are understood differently, depending on an individual or a group’s  geographical, intellectual and academic origins. But if  ”it takes one to know one” and “each one teach one” mean anything, it’s no surprise that many an interpretation or revelation was offered on the topic, and not much resolution was reached.

Dr. Yvette Abraham, Commissioner of the Commission For Gender Equality shed light on the culture and nature of the Khoesan, discussing in context their approach to war and conflict and the impact of what is probably the first violent clash with outsiders in the history of the Khoi people.

On the subject of representation in government there is much to be said from all sides, but the sentiments of self expressed collectively at this gathering can probably best be distilled into this singular statement. “I am not a quota South African; I am a Khoi South African.” What we learnt today is that this means more than one thing for more than one person.