Cape Town - The District Six community and those who identify with its history have embraced the newly opened Homecoming Centre.
Housed at the Old Fugard Theatre, a space that used to be home to many artists of varying art forms has officially reopened its doors under new management.
The District Six Museum Foundation now owns the precinct and has outsourced the management thereof to business hub, Neighbourgood, in early 2022.
Acting director of the foundation, Chrischene Julius, said they’ve been trying to devise ways in which the building can sustain itself.
“Neighbourgood has ensured that it is a multi-use venue for events, theatre productions and many more,” she said.
“Our building honours that District Six is a cultural space, and we hope to continue to do so,” she added.
Julius said the only message they’re trying to share with the public is one of accessibility.
“Whoever wants to come and use this space, is welcome to do so. If someone wants to get married here, they can. If you want to host a group here, you can,” she said.
Comedians Yaaseen Barnes and Simmi Areff were part of the first group of people to use one of the theatres at the new centre, called the Avalon Auditorium.
Their show “Deen There, Done That” was hosted in May.
Barnes said performing at a theatre was a big deal for him.
“Getting to perform in District Six is close to my heart because my family lived in the area, and it felt like getting to ‘go back home’ for them,” he said.
“The venue is rich in its legacy and it's an honour to have performed there and be part of its future.”
Areff said to be able to perform at the historic venue was an achievement.
“Which artist wouldn’t want to perform at a place that has had great performers pass through its doors?” he said.
“When I got an opportunity to have one of the first shows in the newly revamped space, I took the chance,” he added.
The Seven Steps club was created by the foundation in 2008 for former District Six residents.
The group currently makes use of one of the spaces at centre to meet monthly.
In these sessions, they have storytelling, oral history interviews, fact-checking, information-gathering, memorialisation discussions, amongst others.
Jasmina Salie is a member of the club who is one of the storytellers, relaying the intricate details of how her family had experienced forced removals in 1970.
Salie said sharing her story has been a healing experience.
“This area has a lot of memories for me because the Homecoming Centre used to be a haberdashery. I recall coming in here with my late mother, Fouzia, for things that she needed,” she said.
“The space carries a profound memory for me and I love getting to share the history of this place with people,” she added.
Amelia Brinkhuis is also a Seven Steps member who has been involved in workshops, focusing on memory methodology and helping facilitate it at the Homecoming Centre.
“To be part of this is a wonderful experience. It is a space where you can express yourself and be yourself,” she added.
“There is the freedom to express yourself and be yourself. I can never wait for the next meeting to interact and share stories.
Neighbourgood partner, Jon Inggs said they were focused on democratising the space while managing it.
“We’ve named it the Homecoming Centre because we want this to be a space for cultural and spatial redress and we want the community to meaningfully engage with it,” he said.
“Our mission is always to leave a space better than we found it. The space used to be very carefully curated and we want to make room for everyone now.”
“We want to create a highly-equipped space where people can perform, who would not typically have access to this space.”
Inggs said since they took over management of the building, it has become increasingly busy.
“Usually people rely on Winter to do maintenance but there’s been no time for that. We figured the best thing to do was to host and fix as we go along,” he said.