- The Cape Malay Choir Board, celebrating 85 years of cultural preservation, kicked off its annual choral competition in Cape Town this past weekend.
- Thirteen choirs competed, with the finals set for November 16 and 17 at the CTICC and a grand finale on November 30.
- Board President Zieyaad Hattas emphasized the importance of the tradition in preserving the Afrikaans language and Cape Malay heritage for future generations.
Keeping the Cape Malay culture alive. That has been the vision of the Cape Malay Choir Board for the past eight decades.
It celebrates its 85th anniversary this year.
This past weekend marked the start of the annual choral choir competition, which was held at the City Hall.
Thirteen choirs battled it out, with the finals set to take place on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 November at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).
Saturday 30 November will see the grand finale at the Athlone Stadium.
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Zieyaad Hattas, president of the board, said that just as 85 years ago its focus was to preserve the Afrikaans language.
He said the first Malay troupe that paraded in the streets of Cape Town 136 years ago was the Star Independence Malay Club.
“Afrikaans as a language is dying out in our homes. But because all our items are sung only in Afrikaans our children still have some Afrikaans in them.”
He explained the late University of Cape Town professor ID du Plessis started the board.
“It was started to uphold the Afrikaans language. We are now back to where it all started 85 years ago. We have a passion for upholding the Malay traditions around Cape Town. We are getting youth more involved so that we can ensure another 100 years of history of the Malay Choir.”
The 43-year-old Hattas is the youngest president to serve on the board and follows in the footsteps of his grandfather who served as the president in the late 1970s.
Malay choirs and kaapse klopse
Hattas explained that people often compared the Malay choirs and Kaapse Klopse to the same sport. But he said there are obvious differences.
“The Malay choirs wear red fezzes (hats) as a symbol of respect and Malay history. We don’t paint our faces and the uniform is different; we wear a suit and tie. We also sing the unique item, which is the Nederlandse Lied known as Liedjies (Rosa).”
He said the Covid-19 pandemic put a damper on the choirs.
Before Covid-19 the board consisted of 30 choirs, but the numbers dropped to only 10.
Last year, there were only seven choirs. “I said we needed to do something about this. We became more active on social media and that assisted us. We involved more youngsters in positions that were meaningful to them and they are also contributing positively.”
Hattas said this year 13 choirs competed in the choral competition and 20 choirs will take to the street on New Year’s Eve.
The Young Men’s Sporting Club is one of the oldest choirs on the board.
According to its president, Adnaan Morris, it was started by a group of five families.
“The club was established in 1938 as a social club for men to come together and sing traditional songs. They would meet on a Saturday night and sit around the table and socialise. It was later formalised as an official Malay choir.”
He too believes the Cape Malay songs and traditions should be kept alive.
“The Malay choir exists only in Cape Town and for that reason, it is important we keep the legacy alive because it is a big part of our culture as Cape Malays. I have been part of it my whole life. I was born into this club. For me, this is a mission in the sense that the legacy of preservation and ensuring that the culture and the club survives goes on.”
Hattas appealed to people to continue to support Malay choirs.
“We don’t want this culture and heritage to die. We want our youth to be aware of how our forefathers got here. We are not only commemorating 85 years of history but more than 360 years of being in the Cape of Good Hope.
“We are only celebrating the board for 85 years, but our people have been here for more than 350 years.”
