Abstract

Simon’s Town Museum initiated Project Phoenix in 1996, to record and preserve the rich history of the former residents of Simon’s Town, who were forcibly removed from the town, under the Apartheid Regime’s Group Areas Act of 1967. In addition to our indigenous community, the long occupations by the VOC from 1743 and then the British from 1806 respectively, resulted in a population that was very cosmopolitan. The Royal Navy established a permanent base at Simon’s Town in 1814 and its 143 year presence, rocketed Simon’s Town from a tiny, seasonal backwater, to a thriving, bustling, internationally renowned seaport, attracting people of diverse origins. Well over 200 years of intermarriage and social interaction, created an exceedingly diverse community, whose shared traditions, history and heritage could be unique in South Africa, if not the world!! The great tragedy of the Forced Removals under the Group Areas Act of 1967, was the devastation of the Simon’s Town community and in many cases, the very destruction of families. In 1996 Simon’s Town Museum formed the Simon’s Town Phoenix Committee, consisting of former residents, museum staff and volunteers. We work together to ensure that our collections become more representative of our community. Together we collect oral histories, photographs and artefacts, specifically of those who had been displaced during the Apartheid Era. We arrange for our displaced community to visit the Museum and participate in cultural activities, pertaining to our history. Trips to the Museum for children of former residents and from our disadvantaged areas, are organized and educational programmes link to our National Curriculum. We are consulted on heritage issues by officials, consultants and researchers etc., and have assisted many overseas students and academics with their theses and projects on Simon’s Town, its heritage, apartheid, community history and of course, the Forced Removals. Since the Land Restitution process began in 1994, the Museum has assisted claimants with evidence of occupation and removal from, their ancestral homes in Simon’s Town. Over the years, we have printed hundreds of copies of photographs, burial certificates and removal notices, for our displaced community, as our contribution to the restitution process. One of our most poignant projects was the DNA Testing Project carried out as part of The Genographic Project, Sub-Saharan Africa, by the University of the Witwatersrand's Human Genetics Division. The project served to confirm and to celebrate what we as Simonites had always known - that we are a multi-cultural community of extremely diverse origins – the very essence of the Rainbow Nation!