Impetus for land solution
THERE is so much talk in addressing racism, working towards social cohesion, integration and making Cape Town a city for all, but this noble ideal is fraught with the gamut of systemic counter arguments of little available land in the City Bowl and surrounding areas, ongoing sagas of unresolved land dispossession, the Group Areas Act, crime, the wealth gap, unemployment, infrastructure development, public transport etc.
Land reclamation from the sea is a historic and current phenomenon. The most well-known international case is the Netherlands, while the most current, and considered contentious, is China expanding its reach in the East and South China seas. Dignified city rejuvenation and social integration has been well orchestrated and documented in India.
Land reclamation from the sea in Cape Town is nothing new, dating back to the Castle and Foreshore. The V&A Waterfront and current expansion of Granger Bay continues daily. Pristine wetlands along the coast make way for luxurious golf estates.
In Gordon’s Bay, Harbour Island was completed a few years ago. This “reclaiming” phenomenon can be seen from Langebaan to Simon’s Town, and it is nationwide.
Who are the main beneficiaries of these watery reclamations? What policies, rationale and resources, past and current, are the validation for these initiatives in and around the city? Is the socio-apartheid legacy the single most powerful reason for the racism, or are we seeing economic racism at last? Is the City of Cape Town aware of different forms and levels of racism and racial discrimination? Is the omission of class a form of fortuitous amnesia? Is historical subjugation in all its forms unsurpassable?
If 1km of land is reclaimed from the sea on the Atlantic and False Bay seaboard – to address the noble concerns of integration, social cohesion, inclusion and racism – can this hypothetical idea be explored? Is the idea too fearful as it is bound to upset the socioeconomic, environmental, political and corporate status quo? Is 1km too far for the privileged few to walk or drive to “their” beloved sea? Will the 1km development threaten the quality of the lives and property of those residing on this stretch? Is the inconvenience economically and socially unsafe? Or will it stir the wrath of the market?
I have always believed, given our past, that we cannot level the playing fields, as those who had and have economic power, influence and orchestrate its course. We need to create new fields that bring to life the lived spirit of our constitution and our creativity to commit to socio-economic justice.
The City of Cape Town was the design capital for 2014, and could it, through creating new fields, underpinned by a committed social justice discourse, become the leading international design capital for socio-economic justice?
The 1km is just an idea, in response to the range of counter-arguments in achieving the non-racist dream.
Imagine what we could create with 1km of reclaimed land from the sea to address one merciless human syndrome, economic racism. The potential of 1km could have unimaginable benefits as a new field in the well-being of the city’s peoples. The disbenefits of such an initiative will have their own responses which make for great analysis in understanding systemic racism, racial discrimination and privilege within the context of the City of Cape Town.
The rationale for my imaginative thinking is just that… imagine. SIDDEEQ RAILOUN TRANSFORMATION CHANGE MANAGEMENT ACTIVIST Cape Town