THE ART OF XENOPHOBIA
This morning I drove to the infamous Rocky Street in Yeoville, Jozi to see whether the inner-city redevelopments have stretched its tentacles into one of the city’s oldest suburbs. It used to be the long-time home to Orthodox and Hasidic Jews that morphed into a bohemian enclave.
Long before the fall of Apartheid Yeoville attracted its fair share of artists, musicians, students and political activists. In the 1980’s Rockey Street, which runs through the suburb and the adjacent Bellevue, became something of a “grey area“where black and white freely mixed, socialized and listened to music together in defiance of prevailing apartheid laws. Some blacks even lived in the area in flats rented for them by white nominees. The eclectic mix of races, backgrounds, and lifestyles that characterized Yeoville was in stark contrast to the social agenda of the country's Apartheid legislation
With the demise of apartheid in the early 1990’s the demographic profile of the community rapidly changed. The availability of low-rent properties coupled with the community's long tradition of openness to all kinds offered an urban toe-hold to legal or illegal immigrants from all over Africa.
The population of Yeoville changed from 85% white in 1990 to 90% black in 1998. of which many were foreign nationals seeking a better future. The lack of effective urban management saw the area entering into a period of rapid urban decay and neglect. This new pan-African Yeoville appears to pose the greatest challenge to the suburbs future.
Its residents are mostly economic migrants from all over. Not many residents own property and have little interest, or the resources, to invest in the wellbeing of the community. Therefore urban redevelopment is extremely slow.
The fear of xenophobia, marginalization and the hopelessness of their precarious existence are starkly reflected in these murals in Raleigh Street that runs parallel to the main artery of Rocky Street. Jozi still yaw between the abysmal and joyous and hopefully Yeoville will sail through to be a part of the Phoenix of the new Jo’burg that’s slowly but surely rising from the ashes.
Africa belongs to everyone that lives in her comfort
Let's stop these senseless attacks and killings
Let's fight these demons who continue to commit such horrendous crimes against humanity
AFRICA UNITE
In the meantime Yeoviile and Bellevue remains a vibrant, colourful, often chaotic and dangerous pan-African melting-pot.