Ports d’Attache, or Home Ports, is a Canadian documentary series on 13 major port cities*, currently in the process of production. One of the cities is Cape Town, and I had the opportunity earlier this week to show reknowned Canadian photographer Heidi Hollinger, the host of the show, and her crew, around the Central City. The documentary series is looking, amongst other things, at the impact that ports have had on a city’s history, people, culture and development. 

The series is specifically not focusing on popular tourist spots but what it terms ‘the soul of the city’. Walking only a short distance, we were able to discuss the origins of Cape Town as Camissa, the ‘place of sweet waters’ where for centuries, indigenous inhabitants watered their herds until their dispossession by the Dutch East India Company; the consequences of the importantation of slaves from Africa, India and the East to build the Castle, dig the canals, plant the Company’s Garden and construct the early settlement; the origins of Greenmarket Square, Church Square and the historic role of Eerste Berg Dwars Straat (St George’s Mall); the devastating impact of forced removals of tens of thousands of families from the Central City through the Groups Areas Act; the gradual separation of the city from the sea with the construction of the modern industrial harbour and the reclamation of the Foreshore, and current efforts to reconnect the mountain to the city to the sea, and the many other issues that have shaped the history of Cape Town.

The Purple Shall Govern - telling the story of the September 1989 march in town that defied the apartheid police alongside the public sculpture by local artist Conrad Botes on the corner of Berg and Church Streets that commemorates the event

With photographer Heidi Hollinger at the Rainbow Experience in Church Street

Celebrating the release of Nelson Mandela on 11 February 1990 (almost twenty years ago!) and his first speech to the world as a free man from the Cape Town City Hall balcony

All pictures courtesy Heidi Hollinger and crew, with thanks. The Cape Town Partnership conducts regular walking tours in the Cape Town Central City – all welcome!

*Cities: San Francisco, Helsinki, Marseille, Lisbon, Havana, Cape Town, Tel Aviv, Moscow, Houston, Buenos Aires, Bangkok, Melbourne and Reykjavik 

Gulp! Do I have to go down there?

I’ve just got back from an amazing walk underneath the city through an old water tunnel that runs from Oranjezicht to the Castle. The walk was part of the Reclaim Camissa project, which is currently managed by Caron von Zeil at the Cape Town Partnership (021 – 419 1881 for more information). The walk was conducted by Dwain Esterhuizen and his colleagues from Figure of 8, a Cape Town event and teambuilding company.

See Ella Smook’s article in the Cape Argus

CTP staff also seem a bit apprehensive... (picture: Shaen Adey)

Do I have to do this? (Picture: Shaen Adey)

Its perfectly safe, he grinned nervously (Picture: Shaen Adey)

The first part of the tunnel is 1,5m in diameter - great for someone 1,82m tall

Millions of litres of fresh water pour off Table Mountain every day into Table Bay

Deep under Buitenkant Street!

After about 20 mins, the tunnel expands to 2m in diameter, relief for aching calves! (Picture: Shaen Adey)

Yuk! (Picture: Shaen Adey)

Amazing brickwork in the tunnel (Picture: Shaen Adey)

Light at the end of the tunnel! Rhonda makes her exit

Emerging near the Nassau Bastion of the Castle of Good Hope

Safe and sound! The Cape Town Partnership team soak up some well deserved sunshine