Cape Malays

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Cape Malay Total population
200,000
Regions with significant populations
Western Cape, Gauteng
Languages
Afrikaans, South African English

Religion
Islam

Related ethnic groups
Malays (ethnic group), Malay race

The Cape Malay community is an ethnic group or community in South Africa. It takes its name from the present-day Western Cape of South Africa and the people originally from the Malay archipelago, mostly Javanese from Indonesia. These immigrants started this community in South Africa. The community's earliest members were enslaved Javanese transported by the Dutch East India Company. They were followed by political dissidents and Muslim religious leaders who opposed the Dutch presence in what is now Indonesia and were sent into exile. Starting in 1654, these resistors were imprisoned or exiled in South Africa by the Dutch East India Company, which founded and used what is now Cape Town as a resupply station for ships traveling between Europe and Asia. They were the group that first introduced Islam to South Africa.

Contents [hide]
1 Terminology
2 Culture
3 Population and location
4 External links

[edit] Terminology
The Cape Malay identity can be considered the product of a set of histories and communities as much as it is a definition of an ethnic group. Since many Cape Malay people have found their Muslim identity to be more salient than their "Malay" ancestry, people in one situation have been described as "Cape Malay", and in another as "Cape Muslim" by people both inside and outside of the community.

From the early 1970s to the present, some members of this community – particularly those with a political allegiance to broader liberation movements in South Africa – have identified as "black" in the terms of the Black Consciousness Movement. The "Cape Malay" identity was also a subcategory of the "Coloured" category, in the terms of the apartheid-era government's classifications of ethnicity. Like many South Africans, people described in some situations as "Cape Malay" are often the descendants of people from many continents and religions.

Some citizens use the phrase "Cape Malay" as a proud marker of their own history and cultural identification.[citation needed]
[edit] Culture

Malay Choir in District Six
Malay Choir CompetitionThe founders of this community were the first to bring Islam to South Africa. The community's culture and traditions have also left an impact that is felt to this day. Adaptations of traditional foods such as bredie, bobotie, sosaties and koeksisters are staples in many South African homes. The Muslim community in Cape Town remains large and vibrant. It has expanded greatly beyond those exiles who started the first mosques in South Africa.

People in the Cape Malay community generally speak mostly Afrikaans but also English, or local dialects of the two. They no longer speak the Malay languages and other languages which their ancestors used, although various Malay words and phrases are still employed in daily usage.

This cultural group developed a characteristic 'Cape Malay' music. An interesting secular folk song type, of Dutch origin, is termed the nederlandslied. The language and musical style of this genre reflects the history of South African slavery; it is often described and perceived as 'sad' and 'emotional' in content and context. The nederlandslied shows the influence of the Arabesque (ornamented) style of singing. This style is unique in South Africa, Africa and probably in the world.[citation needed]

Cape Malay music has been of great interest to academics, historians, musicologists, writers and even politicians. The well-known annual Cape Town Minstrel or Carnival street festival is a deep-rooted Cape Malay cultural event; it incorporates the Cape Malay comic song or moppie (often also referred to as ghoema songs). The barrel-shaped drum, called the 'ghoema', is also closely associated with Cape Malay music.


[edit] Population and location
It is estimated that there are about 166,000 people in Cape Town who could be described as Cape Malay, and about 10,000 in Johannesburg. The picturesque Malay Quarter of Cape Town is found on Signal Hill, and is called the Bo-Kaap.

Many Cape Malay people also lived in District Six before it was demolished; after its demolition, they moved to so-called Coloured townships on the Cape Flats. The Claremont Road Mosque, frequented by many Cape Muslims, was an important center of anti-apartheid activity. Islamic scholar Farid Esack is from this community.

[edit] External links
HTML "Multiple communities: Muslims in post-apartheid South Africa Scholarly essay includes history of "Cape Malay" identity.
Kramat An early religious leader's legacy remains on Robben Island.
Official South African history site Early context for "Cape Malay" community.
The Bo-Kaap Museum
The Cape Malay Choir Board An umbrella organization for Cape Malay singing ensembles.
"Cape Malay" references A descriptive bibliographic paper examining the contested identity of "Cape Malay."
Sparse website with some information about Cape Malay musical instrumentsand music.