District Six is a neighborhood in Cape Town. It used to be a community made up of artists, musicians, and immigrants. Many of the people who lived in District Six were Muslims. These people were called “coloured” by the apartheid government. There were also white people, Africans, Jewish people, and Indians living in District Six. This made the area very diverse.

In the 1960’s the apartheid government called District Six a slum that was not fit for living. The truth was that the area was being claimed by the government for their own use.

All of the people living in the area were forced to move, and the neighborhood was bulldozed to the ground. Hundreds of families and businesses were forced to move from their homes and made to live in townships outside of the city. More than 50,000 people lost their homes.

We visited the District Six Museum on a day it was closed to the public. At the museum we met with Noor Ebrahim. Noor is the founder of the museum and lived in District Six before his home was destroyed. The museum teaches visitors about the events that happened during the apartheid era. It also remembers the diverse culture and history of the area before the bulldozing began.

The floor of the museum was a giant street map of District Six. On the map, residents who were forced to move have signed their names on the spots where they once lived. Noor told us the story of his family and pointed out where his home was on the large map.

I will always remember the museum. It made me think about how many people’s lives were ruined by apartheid. It also made me think about how people throughout history have been forced from their homes.

Part I: History of District Six	Part II: Moving people back to District Six

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