Soraya is a well-known kasidah, an Islamic song, in Cape Town. It is among the songs used as the inspiration for my video series, Sounds of a Cape Town Home.
Tag Archives: Cape Malay
Kramat Festival
‘Kramat Festival’ is a 15-minute documentary film, sharing the history and views about an annual gathering of Cape Town’s Muslim community at the shrine of Sheikh Yusuf from Makassar in Indonesia and known for bringing Islam to the Cape.
Sheikh Yusuf was detained by Dutch colonisers for resisting their occupation in his homeland. After being banned to the Cape, he taught Islam, which is still alive in modern-day South Africa.
He is buried in a small town called Macassar, 45-minutes outside of central Cape Town, which is named after Makassar. Muslims from different parts of the world still visit the kramat, or shrine, where he is buried.
Copyright: Yazeed Kamaldien (2025)