Slavery played a significant role in the early history of Paarl, Western Cape, particularly during the 17th and 18th centuries under Dutch and later British colonial rule. Enslaved people—brought mainly from East Africa, Madagascar, India, and Southeast Asia, as well as Indigenous Khoisan people—were forced to work on farms, vineyards, and in households, forming the backbone of the local agricultural economy. Their labour was central to the development of Paarl’s wine and wheat industries. Despite harsh conditions, enslaved communities preserved and blended cultural traditions, languages, and spiritual practices that continue to influence the region today. The legacy of slavery in Paarl remains visible in its social history, cultural expressions, and the lived experiences of descendant communities long after emancipation in 1834. Hybré van Niekerk, a self-taught Historian and Culture tourist guide from Paarl, tells is more.
Produced by Shaldon Ferris (Khoi/San)
Interviewee: Hybré van Niekerk (of Slave/Khoi descent)
Image: Het Gestucht Museum, Paarl.
Music 'Burn your village to the ground', by The Haluci Nation, used with permission.
Country
South Africa