Muslims from around Cape Town gathered at the Castle of Good Hope at the weekend ahead of the holiest month on the Islamic calendar.
Over 25 000 Muslims flocked to the seventh annual Ramadaan Expo 2017, hosted by Radio 786 and the Spice Mecca at the Castle of Good Hope - a place which, for many of their forebears, had been a place of pain and suffering.
During the colonial period the Castle of Good Hope had been a place where slaves, many of them from present-day Indonesia were brought to be punished and imprisoned.
The expo unfolded around a giant marquee, with visitors having a choice of food stalls; clothes, toys, jewellery, spices, cookery books and other products were also on sale.
Alongside the expo there was also an exhibition by relief organisations and small- and medium-sized businesses.
Radio 786 station manager Rushni Allie explained that the purpose of the event was as much a fund-raiser for the radio station as it was to support the community’s small and medium businesses.
“The people can buy everything they need for the Month of Ramadaan (May 27 until sighting of the new moon) so that they can focus on worship during Ramadaan. We offer them all the products related to what they use in the month of Ramadaan,” she added.
On hosting the event at the Castle, Allie said: “For us, this event is about reclaiming space at the Castle. Previously it was a place of oppression for our slave ancestors.
“We had the first ever Jumuah (Friday Prayers) at the Castle and the person who led the prayers was flown in from Jerusalem. He is a Mufti from Masjidul Al Aqsa.”
She said the expo was first held in 2011 in Epping and subsequently at Athlone Civic Centre, Turfhall Park, twice at the Good Hope Centre and last year at Newlands Cricket Ground, where over 20 000 people attended.
Spice Mecca director, Shreef Abass, said they started sponsoring the event from 2013. “Our aim is to unite all the people of South Africa through inter-cultural and inter-religious engagement. All proceeds will go to charity organisations across SA."