JAWI DARI JAUH

Abstract

This article explores the jawi written tradition of the Muslim Community of Cape Town, South Africa, as both a legacy of Indonesians sent to the Cape of Good Hope from the 17th to the 19th centuries, and as a tool for the renewed expression of Malay-Indonesian identities in South Africa. It traces the origins and development of jawi literacy in Cape Town and discusses the contemporary use of remnant jawi texts in activities based around heritage, identity and genealogical projects. In focusing on jawi text, the article illuminates significant broader contextual issues, including the development of the so-called ‘Malay’ community of Cape Town, the historical presence of Indonesians in South Africa, and contemporary political and economic links between the Malay-Indonesian world and South Africa.

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