Uprooted : unearthing the ties between food, family, and forced removals in Plettenberg bay

Abstract

Approximately 3.5 million South Africans were subjected to forced removals during apartheid. Against this backdrop of race-based displacement, this study focuses on Plettenberg Bay in the Western Cape, South Africa. Known for its pristine beaches and affluent lifestyle, Plettenberg Bay’s reputation as a tourist haven often obscures its history of forced removals. This study aims to shed light on this overlooked past by examining the ongoing effects of dispossession on its displaced residents, using food practices as a window into the layered histories of oppression and resilience. At the kitchen tables of Plettenberg Bay families the Van der Westhuizens and the Booysens, the concept of the “archive of the ordinary,” as proposed by academic Anthony Bogues , comes to life. These spaces, where both families, displaced between the late 1960’s and the 1970s from Piesang Valley and Keurboomstrand, gather, prepare, share, and enjoy food - offer rich narratives of heritage, memory, and resistance. The kitchen table serves as a focal point for this research, symbolising the heart of domestic life where food is prepared, shared, and enjoyed. Through the stories embedded in memories, recipes, ingredients, and traditional practices, this research seeks to illuminate the ongoing legacy of displacement and to address the paucity of knowledge on Plettenberg Bay’s other residents.