The Cape Malay community is an ethnic group or community in South Africa, taking its name from what is now known as the Western Cape of South Africa and the people originally from the Malay archipelago who started this community in South Africa. The community's earliest members were slaves brought by the Dutch East India Company, followed shortly thereafter by political dissidents and Muslim religious leaders who opposed the Dutch presence in what is now Indonesia. 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 are the group that first introduced Islam to South Africa. A community usually refers to a group of people who interact and share certain things as a group, but it can refer to various collections of organisms sharing an environment, plant or animal. ... Capital Cape Town Largest city Cape Town Premier Ebrahim Rasool Area - Total Ranked 4th 129,370 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 5th 4,524,335 35/km² Elevation Highest point: Seweweekspoort Peak at 2325 meters (7628 feet) Lowest point: sea level Languages Afrikaans (55. ... World map depicting Malay Archipelago The Malay Archipelago is a vast archipelago located between mainland Southeastern Asia (Indochina) and Australia. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... Events April 5 - Signing of the Treaty of Westminster, ending the First Anglo-Dutch War. ... Dutch colonial possessions, with the Dutch East India Company possessions marked in a paler green, surrounding the Indian Ocean plus Saint Helena in the mid-Atlantic. ... City motto: Spes Bona (Latin: Good Hope) Location of the City of Cape Town in Western Cape Province Province Western Cape Mayor Helen Zille Area  - % water 2,499 km² N/A Population  - Total (2004)  - Density Not ranked 2,893,251 1,158/km² Established 1652 Time zone SAST (UTC+2... Islam in South Africa probably predates the colonial period, and consisted of isolated contact with Arab and East African traders. ...

Terminology

Because ethnicity is a politically loaded and historically painful topic in South Africa, it can be useful to consider the Cape Malay identity as the product of a set of histories and communities at least as much as it is a real definition of an ethnic group. Further, since many Cape Malay people find their Muslim identity to be more salient than their "Malay" ancestry, there have also been many instances in which people in one situation were described as "Cape Malay", and were in another situation described 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 – may refer to themselves as "black" in the terms of the Black Consciousness Movement. The "Cape Malay" identity was also a subcategory of the so-called "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. Liberation movements are groups organizing a rebellion against a colonial power (Anti-imperialism) or seeking separation from a state for parts of the population that feel suppressed by the majority. ... The Black Consciousness Movement was a movement which called for non-violent black resistance to the Apartheid government in South Africa. ... In the South African and Namibian context, the term Coloured (also known as Bruinmense, Kleurlinge or Bruine Afrikaners) refers to a rather heterogeneous group of people of mixed Khoisan, white European descent, Malay, Malagasy, Black (Bantu), and South Indian ancestry, especially in the Western Cape. ... A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ...

But if there are those who shy from the label, there are also others who use the phrase "Cape Malay" as a proud marker of their own history and cultural identification.

Culture

Malay Choir in District Six

Malay Choir Competition

The 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 to this day, now much expanded beyond those exiles who started the first mosques in South Africa. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1000x320, 309 KB) A Malay Choir performs at an ANC-sponsored ceremony in District Six, Cape Town (South Africa), 2001. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1000x320, 309 KB) A Malay Choir performs at an ANC-sponsored ceremony in District Six, Cape Town (South Africa), 2001. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1000x515, 469 KB) A Malay Choir performs at a competition in the Good Hope Centre, Cape Town (South Africa), 2001. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1000x515, 469 KB) A Malay Choir performs at a competition in the Good Hope Centre, Cape Town (South Africa), 2001. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... Categories: Possible copyright violations ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A koeksuster or koeksister is a South African syrup-coated doughnut in a twisted or braided shape (like a plait). ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ...

People in the Cape Malay community generally speak Afrikaans, English or local dialects of the two. The Malay languages and other languages that their ancestors brought are no longer spoken, though various Malay words and phrases are still employed in daily usage. Look up Wiktionary:Swadesh lists for Afrikaans and Dutch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The Malay language, also known locally as Bahasa Melayu, is an Austronesian language spoken by the Malay people who reside in the Malay Peninsula, southern Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, central eastern Sumatra, the Riau islands, and parts of the coast of Borneo. ...

'Cape Malay' music also became closely associated with this cultural group. 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. 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 , 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.hello A Coon in classic minstrel style struts his stuff at the Greenpoint Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa - 2001 The Kaapse Klopse (or simply Klopse) is a minstrel festival that takes place annually in Cape Town, South Africa. ...

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, most were forced to move 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. City motto: Unity in Development Province Gauteng Mayor Amos Masondo Area  - % water 1,644 km² 0. ... Signal Hill is a famous hill located in Cape Town, next to Lions Head and Table Mountain. ... Bo-Kaap street The Bo-Kaap is a picturesque area of Cape Town in South Africa formerly known as the Malay Quarter. ... District Six is the name of a former neighborhood of Cape Town, South Africa, best known for the forced removal of its inhabitants during the 1970s. ... Children in a township near Cape Town in 1989 In South Africa, the term township usually refers to the (often underdeveloped) urban residential areas that, under Apartheid, were reserved for non-whites (principally black Africans and Coloureds, who were put into separate townships or locations) who lived near or worked... Landsat image of Cape Town and environs, looking roughly east. ... Farid Esack is a South African Progressive Muslim writer and scholar. ...

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.
• Cape Jazz