CAPE TOWN – For 77-year-old Fatima Dulvie, the annual minstrel parade represents more than just a colorful spectacle — it’s a living connection to her childhood in Cape Town’s demolished District Six and a proud assertion of her community’s unique cultural identity.
As a young girl, Dulvie would perch excitedly on her home’s wall, eagerly anticipating the Tweede Nuwe Jaar (Second New Year) parade that would thunder past her neighborhood. Today, three decades later, she remains an integral part of the roughly 140-year-old tradition, having sewn more than 900 elaborate costumes for the Original District Six Hanover Minstrels troupe.
From slavery to celebration
The first minstrel carnival took place in 1887, emerging from the cultural melting pot of enslaved Africans and Southeast Asians, indigenous Khoi and San peoples, and black South Africans. This diverse community, still largely known as Cape Coloureds, comprises 35% of Cape Town’s population today.
Originally, January 2nd was the only day enslaved people were permitted to hold their own New Year celebrations — a small freedom that evolved into one of South Africa’s most significant cultural events.
“We didn’t sleep at that time,” Dulvie recalled, describing the feverish excitement that began the day before the parade and lasted well into the evening. She particularly remembered hiding from the fearsome Atcha troupes with their intimidating masks and thunderous drums.
Preserving heritage through hardship
Dulvie’s connection to the parade survived even the trauma of forced removal. In 1966, she was among more than 60 000 people forcibly displaced when District Six was declared whites-only under apartheid’s racial segregation policies.
Despite this upheaval, she maintained her cultural ties through her craft. Each year from May onwards, Dulvie and her five children work marathon sessions from 08:00. to midnight, creating the dazzling costumes that define the parade’s visual splendour. Her dedication has earned her troupe the “Best Dressed” category multiple times.
“Every year I say I’m going to retire, but the next year I start again,” Dulvie explained. “We grew up in District Six, we grew up with this, so it’s still in me.”
Modern challenges face ancient tradition
This year’s parade, exceptionally scheduled for January 5th due to logistical constraints, expects around 20 000 performers and 150 000 spectators according to the Kaapse Klopse Karnival Association (KKKA).
However, the celebration faces unprecedented tensions. The KKKA’s decision to route the parade away from historically significant areas like District Six and Bo-Kaap toward coastal Green Point has sparked heated controversy within the minstrel community. Some groups have even threatened breakaway parades.
Critics also point to increasing commercialization, citing the introduction of corporate sponsorship and higher stadium entry fees for the final competition as signs that the authentic community spirit is being compromised.
Economic reality meets cultural preservation
KKKA director Muneeb Gambeno defends these changes as necessary evolution. Rising costs have already forced several older, smaller troupes to withdraw over the past decade. This year’s event features just 17 troupes, down from more than 40 in previous years.
“The carnival has had to evolve,” Gambeno stated, emphasising that the parade maintains deep significance regarding race, cultural identity, gender, and class issues.
Youth empowerment through tradition
With young people comprising over two-thirds of participants, the modern minstrel parade serves as more than cultural preservation — it’s a form of youth empowerment offering an alternative to the gangs, crime, and drugs plaguing Cape Town’s poorer suburbs.
Troupe owner Ziyaad Williams, who has participated since he was a toddler, explains that performers spend months practicing music and routines while keeping costume designs secret until the last minute to maintain competitive advantage.
The final spectacle includes elaborate face makeup, accessories like hats and walking sticks, and the distinctive goema beats and banjo music that have defined the tradition for generations.
“It came from our forefathers. This is what they loved,” Williams said. “We fell into it, and we are still in it. So for us, we’re keeping it alive.”
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