Breaking bread together is one of the easiest ways to unite a community.
And in the Holy month of Ramadan, street boekas have become a common special gathering for residents.
The first such street boeka was held at erf 694 in New Woodlands on Sunday 26 March, marking a historic event for the community.
With construction starting in May 2019, the first 110 homes were handed over to a blended community in 2022, including backyard dwellers from Mitchell’s Plain and neighbouring Kosovo informal settlement, located on the opposite side of the R300 highway.
Community workers Sharief and Farieda Chowglay took on the mammoth task of organising the first street boeka for the community.
“Putting something like our street boeka together was a first and a huge challenge for us. Our normal duty is cooking in abundance and feeding our community. With our street boeka, we got our community to assist us in making our event successful,” says Farieda.
Ward 75 Councillor Joan Woodman joined around 400 residents at the event.
“The initiative by leaders of the community was well supported and received by the residents of New Woodlands. As an integrated community, this was the first time (experiencing a street boeka) for many of the Kosovo neighbours and they thoroughly enjoyed the recitals and prayers. This is a month of reflecting, sharing and sacrifice for our Muslim residents as they fast during this Holy month of Ramadan,” says Woodman.
Farieda says the event was a special experience.
“A street boeka is a once-off during our Holy Month of Ramadan, however, should we get ingredients during the month we will be cooking to feed our needy community as well,” she says.
“Our main aim and objective is to unite the two different cultures that were joined in this project. We know how bad the need is and will do everything in our power to feed our community whenever there are ingredients available to cook.”
Sharief is the Community Liaison Officer (CLO) for the project and Farieda is the secretary and administrator of the New Woodlands Ratepayers association. This makes them both known to the community and familiar with the development. The RPA has also been vocal about the housing initiative since its inception.
