The houses in the photo below are located in Cape Town’s most colourful neighbourhood, Bo-Kaap.
It is not known exactly when or why homeowners started painting their houses in this way. The area is formerly know as the Malay Quarter. Today is it a culturally diverse area, with residents of all races and cultures. It’s a popular tourist destination and tourist buses are to be found parked outside the Bo-Kaap Museum, where all tours of the area start.
I finally got to visit the Bo-Kaap area of Cape Town recently. Widely known for its colourfully painted houses, it sits on the slopes of Signal Hill and embodies an interesting part of the Cape’s history. Walking through the cobbled streets one is enveloped in its rich cultural history.
Mozambican-born Portuguese South African; reflecting on travel, writing, editing, life, family and change that has social impact; chief wide eyed in wanderer, wonderer and bottlewasher
