District Six

District Six (Afrikaans Distrik Ses) is the name of a former freehold inner-city residential area in Cape Town, South Africa.

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The region

The area known as District Six got its name from having been the Sixth Municipal District of Cape Town in 1867. Its earlier unofficial name was Kanaldorp, a name supposedly derived from the the series of canals running across the city, some of which had to be crossed in order to reach the District (kanaal is the Afrikaans for ‘canal’.)

It became a cause of much contention and internationally known through the forced removal of over 60,000 of its inhabitants during the 1970s by the apartheid regime. The tales about - and emanating from - this district have led to numerous plays, novels, poems, films and the like. Various playwrights, theatre-makers, poets and other artists grew up there, and the region spawned many theatrical companies and initiatives over the years.

The District Six Museum

Also written District 6 Museum, it is a museum dedicated to the history and impact of District Six.

The museum came into being as a result of the "Hands Off District Six" conference held in 1988 and the formation of the District Six Museum Foundation in 1989. The Foundation worked towards the establishment of the Museum which was launched on 10 December 1994 with its inaugural exhibition called Streets: Retracing District Six.

District Six in theatre, media and film

Plays and films bearing the township's name as title

Distrik Ses by Leonard Koza

A play about **. First performed by Township Life/Township Players in 19*.

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Sources

www.districtsix.co.za

https://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1991-38772016000100002

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