Bo-Kaap and Post-Apartheid Gentrification

A once exclusively and now predominantly Cape Malay neighborhood in Cape Town, Bo-Kaap has become an attractive site for South Africans and foreigners of all backgrounds looking for cheaper residential alternatives in Cape Town’s revitalized downtown. While the neighborhood survived the apartheid-era banishment of non-white South Africans from the city, it now faces an identity crisis as gentrification encroaches upon the cultural integrity of the area, including religious life and property ownership. The New York Times reports on the history of the neighborhood and residents’ attitudes towards changes over the last two decades.

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“Muslim Enclave Forged in Apartheid Now Faces Gentrification” (The New York Times)