Lost Communities, Living Memories: Remembering Forced Removals in Cape Town by Sean Field

ISBN: 9780864864994

David Philip, 2001

Paperback, 141 Pages

Between 1913 and 1989 some four million South Africans were forcibly removed from their homes to enforce residential segregation along racial lines. This study records and interprets the memories of some of the Capetonians who were relocated as a result of the infamous Group Areas Act. Former resients of Windermere, Tramway Road in Sea Point, District Six, Lower Claremont, and Simon's Town narrate their experiences. The work shows how different - even conflicting - versions of popular memories are historically significant for individuals and communities, and for the professionals and academics who work with them. Most important, it demonstrates how the sharing of oral histories and memories allows people to rebuild a sense of self and community.