Obs’ rich cultural heritage

By Tauriq Jenkins

Observatory holds two firsts for me, the first time I fell in love and the first time I'd been mugged.

This dichotomy of experience epitomizes Obs as both alive and deadening. From the onset, one can indulge in the historical underbelly of Obs.

From the Royal Kraal of the Khoisan on the banks of the Liesbeek River who defended the free soil in South Africa's first encounter against the colonial powers, to the first heart transplant by Chris Barnard at Groote Schuur Hospital.

The same hospital that gave life is where former prime minister and apartheid 'architect' Hendrik Verwoed breathed his last breath.

Valkenberg Hospital was the first and largest psychiatric hospital in Africa. Other facts include the world's first radio wave that emanated from Arnold Street.

The then Royal Observatory scientifically proved the world to be round and while doing so invented the world's first air conditioners.

Thousands of years before the Observatory telescope was built, this is where the secrets of the stars were observed by Khoi astronomers.

This 'grey zone' of Apartheid, Obs attracts and detracts the finest as well as the worst. A crucible of cultures and morals.

According to our latest national census, Obs is 40% Black, 37% White, and then split between Coloured and Indian. Of the 40% Black, 60% are foreign. Ironically, the most consistent element of Obs's demography is its transient group of visitors.

Hypnotized by its magnetic pull that sinks or swings. It's a place of capture and recapture. Of art.

Ultimately, we all honour Obs as it honours us. In our difference, we find a stem that binds us in our frailty, deepening the question of who we are and where we come from.

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