Year 11 History Outing

18th October 2023

On the 11th of October, the Year 11 History class embarked on a trip to the Castle of Good Hope, Rhodes memorial and the Iziko Slave lodge to learn about the history of colonialism, along with the importance of the Slave trade to the history of South Africa

Firstly, the group visited Rhodes memorial, made in 1912, where we learned about the history of his plans for Africa, most notably how he planned to build a railway from the Cape to Cairo, which ended up being uncompleted. The railway crossed Africa from south to north, was made to link ports from both ends, and planned to aid in the transporting of goods across countries.

Next, we went onwards to the Castle of Good Hope, where we had a more in depth conversation about the history of colonialism and how many nations, such as Britain and the Netherlands, came to Cape Town to settle. The castle was used as a bastion fort, built in the 17th century, and housed a church, bakery, various workshops, living quarters, shops, and cells, among other facilities. During the Second Boer War (1899–1902), one area was also used as a prison, where prisoners would be held for months at a time in small, dark and cold rooms. On some of the doors, you are still able to see the engravings made by the prisoners! After that, we were able to see some of the living quarters inside the fortress, where artifacts from the 17th, 18th, and 19th century were held. Lastly, outside we saw the statues of former kings, who were known for fighting for basic human rights in South Africa. There names were Cetshwayo, Langalibalele and Sekhukhune along with the 17th century resistance leader, Doman.

Following that, we visited the Iziko Slave Lodge, where we learnt more details about the slave trade that happened during the period of colonialism. One interesting fact we learnt was that the slaves were given surnames of the month the person arrived, or the place from which they came from. In one of the rooms, we were able to see the names of many slaves who arrived in cape town, as well as hearing some of their sad yet interesting stories. In other rooms, we learnt how slaves were transported from their homeland to the cape, and had to endure unimaginable conditions in the ships.

To end our insightful and memorable day, we stopped at Gelato Mania to get ice-cream, courtesy of Mr James. It was an amazing experience for all and our class learned a lot of interesting facts and details about colonialism, and the slave trade in South Africa, and how it all impacted how we live today.

– Ella + Kiera S