Andreas Loven - District Six (2016)

SPIRIT OF DISTRICT SIX Up until 1966, District Six was a warm, peaceful, multicultural community in Cape Town. Its inhabitants included muslims (Cape Malay), Xhosa, Afrikaans, English, and Indian people. It thrived in artistic diversity, and was heavily engaged in live music and Cape Town´s own minstrel carnival tradition. The goema rhythm, a highly danceable groove created by the intersection of various South African cultures, became a signature sound of both the carnival and District Six itself. The residents in District Six set an outstanding example of how different cultures could coexist and thrive, as the curious, warm and welcoming potential of the human spirit defeated prejudice and xenophobia, making the neighborhood diverse and lively, yet peaceful. Unfortunately, that mattered little to the ruling apartheid regime that enforced strict segregation policies. Hence, 50 years ago, on the 11th of february 1966, the authorities decided that District Six was to be demolished and the inhabitants moved to appropriate areas depending on their skin colour. Bulldozers destroyed the area a few years later. In spite of being physically demolished, the spirit and cultural creations of District Six continue to live on. By artists who utilize the creative contributions of the community. But above all, by people all over the world approaching their lives with the belief that the inclusive, empathic nature of the human being eventually will prevail. I dedicate this music to the people living in that spirit. The Spirit of District Six. Andreas Loven, December 2015