District Six - Arts

Arts

With his short novel A Walk in the Night (1962), the well-known Capetonian journalist and writer Alex La Guma gave District Six a place in literature.

South African painters, such as Kenneth Baker, Gregoire Boonzaier and John Dronsfield are recognised for capturing something of the spirit of District Six on canvas.

In 1973, Adam Small and Chris Jansen combined to make coffee table book with Jansen's photographs of District 6 and the demolition of it, with moving poems by well-known poet and writer, Adam Small. The book was published by Human and Rousseau.

In 1986, Richard Rive wrote a highly-acclaimed novel called Buckingham Palace, District Six, which chronicles the lives of a community before and during the removals. This book has also been adapted into successful theatre productions which toured South Africa.

In 1986, District Six – The Musical by David Kramer and Taliep Petersen told the story of District Six in a popular musical which also toured internationally. In 1997 Pamela Jooste wrote her wellknown book,"Dance with a poor Man's daughter". It is the story of District 6 as experienced by an intelligent little girl who lived there. District Six also contributed mightily to the distinguished history of South African jazz. Basil Coetzee, known for his song "District Six", was born there and lived there until its destruction. Before leaving South Africa in the 1960s, pianist Abdullah Ibrahim lived nearby and was a frequent visitor to the area, as were many other cape jazz musicians. Ibrahim described the area to The Guardian as a "fantastic city within a city...", explaining, "here you felt the fist of apartheid it was the valve to release some of that pressure. In the late 50s and 60s, when the regime clamped down, it was still a place where people could mix freely. It attracted musicians, writers, politicians at the forefront of the struggle. We played and everybody would be there."

South African writer Rozena Maart, currently resident in Canada, won the Canadian Journey Prize for her short story "No Rosa, No District Six". That story was later published in her debut collection Rosa's District Six.

South African singer/songwriter Warwick Lobban wrote about District Six in his song "The Town".

Tatamkhulu Afrika wrote the poem "Nothing's Changed", about the evacuation of District Six, and the return after the apartheid.

District Six was also the album title of industrial group Amphibious Assault. The lyrics "You can take the people out of the heart of District Six but you'll never take District 6 out of the heart of the people" were used in the album on the title track.

The 1997 stage musical Kat and the Kings is set in District Six during the late 1950s.

District 9 is a 2009 science fiction film produced by Peter Jackson and directed by Neill Blomkamp. Although set in an alternate Johannesburg, it is inspired by the events surrounding District Six.