By Kouthar Sambo

The District Six Museum has welcomed the new appointment of Ms Zeenat Parker-Kasker as the Executive Director.

This comes after the annual event held to observe the 58 years since the forced removals in the Cape and its effort to keep the history and memory of those displaced communities.

Speaking on VOC’s DriveTime show on Monday, Executive Director of District Six Museum Zeenat Patel-Kaskar said the museum is favorable, cultural, and reminiscent of District Six.

“It is a place that’s been lost and forgotten in the hearts of many, and the museum takes people back to a world and a life that they remember fondly,” said Kaskar.

She further outlined the vibrancy of the museum, and many of those memories have come to life.

“The experience in District Six is so tactile, you walk on a mat, and you can hear the sounds from the years gone by,” remarked Kaskar.

It was interesting to host the Palestinian football team and show them the street map and what we as a community lost, said Kaskar.

“They were very interested in our recovery as a community and meeting its former residents. And while we cannot compare Apartheid with what is happening in Gaza, the Palestinians and South Africa can draw parallels to loss and destruction, and that’s when we speak a similar language,” Kaskar highlighted.

She stressed that the museum is not just a memory but also a heritage with relevance since South Africans are still healing and living through the process of “claim.”

“There are more people claiming land than there are those who received it, regardless of what the restitution process speaks about,” maintained Kaskar.

“We are reminded of all these catastrophes around the world, and while progress has been made today, it is going to take a very long time to recover from the repercussions,” added Kaskar.

Photo: District Six Museum/Instagram