Cape Town on Foot: From the Slave Lodge to Bo-Kaap


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by Ursula Stevens in Cape Town
09 Dec 2016
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Slave Lodge
Cape Town on Foot: From the Slave Lodge to Bo-Kaap
Good day and welcome. You should be standing outside the former Slave Lodge, at the top of Adderley Street.
I'm Ursula and I'm a Capetonian. I have been a language and history teacher, a hiking-trail guide, a guidebook writer and now I lead city walking tours, called “Cape Town on Foot & Bo-Kaap”.
Much of what you will see on today's tour has been described in my book “Bo-Kaap & Islam”. This is a really interesting route which I'm sure you will enjoy, as you learn more about Bo-Kaap, its mosques and people.
The reason I chose to start the tour at the former Slave Lodge was because this is where many slaves started their journey towards Signal Hill. Some escaped, others moved there after manumission or after purchasing their freedom. Amongst these slaves were many Muslims.
In front of the Slave Lodge stands a very big timber arch which was erected in October 2017 to honour former Archbishop Desmond Tutu. It overlooks Adderley Street and is also the entrance gate to the Company's Garden. Archbishop Tutu is popularly known as The Arch. He also coined the expression of The Rainbow Nation to describe South Africans.
It’s time to start moving. With your back to the Slave Lodge, turn left and start following Adderley Street as it curves into Wale Street. Then continue along Wale Street. I'll meet you around the corner.
VoiceMap uses your location to play commentary automatically, so you can put your phone away and focus on your surroundings. Silence between tracks is normal, so if you don't hear from me, don't panic! Just keep going. There's a route map on the screen, but only use it if you get lost or stuck.