Tracing her own family history has led local fisher woman Traci Kwaai to create an outdoor exhibition in remembrance of the many fisher families erased or forgotten.
In conversation with the People’s Post, Kwaai who describes herself as a sixth generation fisher child from the indigenous Kalk Bay community, says her great-great parents could be traced back to Kalk Bay as far back as the 1800s.
“My great-great grandparents were already living in Kalk Bay during the 1800s,” she said. “In a marriage certificate dated 1846 it indicated that they were living in Kalk Bay.”
Kwaai shares how she was raised by one of her family’s oldest great-aunts who died at the age of 101.
“I was raised by one of the oldest members of our family, her sister is still alive and turning 105 this year. She ran Kalk Bay harbour cafe, which is now known as Kalkies,” she shares.
“They were forcibly removed from Kalk Bay so this exhibition is not only about telling their story but the stories of the many communities who were forgotten.”
The new outdoor exhibition is at Olympia Cafe in Kalk Bay.
The display showcases images of families dating as far back as the 1920s.
“In the 1930s, there used to be a swim club, there were rugby clubs, dart clubs and a lot of sport played.”
The exhibition is part of a larger project to preserve Kalk Bay’s history, she adds.
The images displayed include the Fortune, Ferreira, Sassman and Gomez families.
“The project is around heritage and archiving our history,” she said.
“Kalk Bay is very gentrified and we are slowly being erased. This is part of a larger project, the first phase of the preservations of our stories.”
Kwaai, who describes herself as a storyteller, activist, teacher and entrepreneur, was taught the indigenous practices of foraging and food preservation from a young age by her parents, grandparents and older women in the community.
“We want people to know we are still here, 300 years later,” she said.
“I want people, who had families living in Kalk Bay, to be able to come and view the exhibition.”
