Cape Town Minstrel Carnival or Kaapse Klopse derives from the 19th century when slaves in the Western Cape were given a day off on January 2nd. The tradition started as a form of protest to oppressive Dutch colonisation, allowing slaves to express their joy and culture. There is no present-day clarity on the key message surrounding Kaapse Klopse associated colourful street celebrations.
The dompass to control movement of slaves and natives’ dates back to 1761, long before the National Party swept to power to formalise what was practice already.
With history’s distortions, all has been narrowed to Hendrick Frederick Verwoerd being the architect of apartheid for the story to keep repeating, as if it all started in 1948 and ended in 1994 for Afriforum/Solidarity/DA white world catechism that all else done further by the ANC thereafter, in terms of public policy and legislative changes to address the unfinished business of the liberation project, amount to ‘other people being treated badly’ a euphemism with Afrikaaners leading the pack against even the most liberal changes and have been misconstrued as an assault on the protection of minority rights (white people). The claim of an “assault” on white minority rights got favourable hearing from US President Donald Trump ear, finding his way clear to signing an executive order to grant refugee status to SA Europeans of Dutch descent in the United States.
On Tweede Nuwe Jaar the streets in Cape Town have never ceased to bustle with the colourful Minstrel Carnival.
