Gezicht op de Tafelberg met een station van een kabelbaan c. 1940 - 1960

This photograph by Blackshaw captures Table Mountain with a cable car station. Table Mountain looms large here. But for whom? And at what cost? The mountain itself is a silent witness to the complex interplay of race, power, and history that has shaped South Africa. As a geographical landmark, it represents both the sublime beauty of nature and the backdrop against which human dramas of colonialism and resistance have unfolded. The inclusion of the cable car station hints at a narrative of progress and accessibility, yet simultaneously raises questions about who benefits from and has access to such advancements. For many Black South Africans, Table Mountain may evoke memories of exclusion and dispossession under apartheid. The emotional weight of the image resides in its capacity to evoke these layered histories. It reflects societal issues of access, privilege, and historical memory, while tugging at the personal dimensions of identity and belonging.