Jakarta exhibition reveals how exiles, scholars, and enslaved Indonesians influenced Cape Town’s culture and faith.
A history spanning the Indian Ocean is being brought back into view in Jakarta, revealing how people from the Indonesian archipelago became part of Cape Town’s social, religious, and cultural foundations more than three centuries ago.
Jakarta Exhibition Reconnects Two Distant Histories
The interactive multimedia exhibition There Was Something Here Before, created by urbanist Zahira Asmal, opened at Erasmus Huis in South Jakarta in early October and runs until December 23. Through photographs, archival materials, sound, and artworks, it explores more than 300 years of connections between Indonesia and Cape Town and examines how different communities contributed to shaping the South African city.
Indonesians Arrived Through Colonial Displacement
The historical connection developed under Dutch colonial rule, when exiled and enslaved people from areas including Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi, and other parts of the Indonesian archipelago were transported to the Cape. According to the exhibition, these communities brought languages, food, knowledge, beliefs, skills, and traditions that became part of Cape Town’s evolving identity.
Sheikh Yusuf Became an Influential Religious Figure
Among the most prominent figures was Sheikh Yusuf al-Makassari, who supported Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa against the Dutch East India Company before being captured in 1683. After exile in Sri Lanka, the Dutch transferred him to the Cape, where he continued teaching Islam and established a community at Zandvliet, in what is now Macassar, Western Cape. His influence extended among enslaved people, political exiles, and free Muslims, contributing to the early development of Islam in South Africa.
Tuan Guru Helped Establish Cape Muslim Life
Another important figure was Imam Abdullah ibn Qadi Abdus Salaam, known as Tuan Guru, who was born in Tidore in present-day North Maluku. His legacy is closely connected to Auwal Mosque, established in 1794 and recognized as South Africa’s oldest mosque. The site became a center for Islamic education, while the mosque preserves a Quran believed to have been written by Tuan Guru from memory during his imprisonment on Robben Island.
Exhibition Preserves Stories Often Overlooked
Asmal said the exhibition asks visitors to reconsider who truly shapes a city, including the people who build communities, preserve knowledge, create culture, and struggle to make a place their home. Culture Minister Fadli Zon and Dutch Ambassador Marc Gerritsen also highlighted the exhibition’s role in reconnecting histories shared by Indonesia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the Netherlands, including stories that have not always received equal recognition.
The exhibition shows that Indonesia’s connection with Cape Town reaches far beyond modern diplomatic relations. The experiences of Sheikh Yusuf, Tuan Guru, and generations transported across the Indian Ocean remain embedded in Cape Town’s religious and cultural history. For Indonesians, the story reveals an overseas legacy shaped through both hardship and resilience, while for Singaporeans and other Southeast Asians, it offers a broader view of how the region’s communities influenced societies far beyond Asia centuries ago.
Sources: Asia News Network (2026) , The Jakarta Post (2026)
Keywords: Indonesia Cape Town History, Sheikh Yusuf Al-Makassari, Tuan Guru, Cape Muslim Community, Auwal Mosque, Erasmus Huis
