District Six 

Gregoire Boonzaier made this print, titled District Six, depicting a street scene in Cape Town, South Africa. Boonzaier was deeply concerned with representing ordinary people and places, often in a social realist style. This image transports us to a vibrant, working-class neighborhood, one that was home to a diverse community of freed slaves, immigrants, merchants, and laborers. But District Six became a symbol of the injustices of apartheid when, in 1966, the government declared it a whites-only area, forcibly removing its residents and demolishing their homes. Boonzaier’s print serves as both a record and a memorial. The figures walking in the street seem unaware of the impending destruction, caught in the everyday rhythms of life. Boonzaier once said, “I paint what I see, and I paint it as I see it.” Here, that vision captures not just a place, but a moment in time before it was erased. Consider the emotional weight of representing a community on the brink of erasure. This image then, becomes a profound statement about identity, belonging, and the devastating impact of displacement.