In the 1830s, Natal was for a brief time a Boer Republic called Natalia. Several Boers acquired farms for themselves including Inanda. These were largely abandoned when the British took control of Natal in 1843 and they fell into the hands of land speculators. Around the turn of the century, several wealthier Christians from Inanda … Read more
Chatsworth is a predominantly Indian suburb situated to the south of Durban. The Bangladesh Market in Chatsworth is a market established in the early 1980s from the plight of a disadvantaged community that faced social, political and economic challenges, hence to understand the history of the market is to understand the political history in context. … Read more
India ink, alternatively called Indian ink or Chinese ink, is a simple black ink made of carbon. It has been in use in one form or another since ancient times and became standard for writing and printing in the Western world around the turn of the 20th century. At its most basic, India ink is … Read more
Indian South African is a term which refers to people from India living in South Africa. Most Indians in South Africa migrated from colonial India during late 19th-century through early 20th-century. Therefore, the term “Indian” is also used to refer to people who originally hailed from the countries of South Asia. At other times the … Read more
The city of Durban has many distinctive suburbs with their own history of rich heritage culture. The suburb of Avoca Hills is one such town which was named by a Scottish sugar cane farmer after his hometown in Scotland. Avoca Hills was inhabited mainly by generations of the Indian indentured labourers who has shaped the … Read more
When the Indian indentured labourers were discharged from their contracts, they faced a challenge of acceptance in their communities and many chose to remain in Durban. They were not regarded as white or part of the black community. They were faced with the challenge of creating their own culture and community amongst poverty and restricted … Read more