‘There Was Something Here Before’ – Exhibition by Zahira Asmal

Saturday, 19 July 2025 00:25 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Zahira Asmal

‘There Was Something Here Before’ is an interactive international exhibition on slavery and the urban heritage of Cape Town by renowned urbanist and researcher from South Africa, Zahira Asmal, which is supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Sri Lanka. The exhibition will be open to the public free of charge from 18 to 27 July, every day from 10 a.m. onwards at the 1st Floor of the Clock Tower Building, Independence Arcade, Colombo 7.

The exhibition is also accompanied by a series of 10 public events which include exhibition walkabouts, talks, workshops, and film screenings. These will be conducted in collaboration with Sri Lankan scholars and activists that link the themes from Cape Town to Colombo.

Both Cape Town and Colombo were once colonial settlements of the Dutch and share a common history which is not very well known. Asmal’s research into the history of the Cape, including wine farms, showed many enslaved people originating from ‘Ceylon.’ This surprising connection between these two cities and their forgotten memory is the core of this international exhibition and will be an eye-opener to many. This is the first time such an interactive exhibition exploring the historical link between South Africa and Sri Lanka is held.

This exhibition in Colombo will form the first leg of this international exhibition, which Asmal will be taking to other countries in the region. It explores the key themes of history, memory, and forgetting, as well as the urban realm, and these themes will be linked to Sri Lanka through the events organised around the exhibition. These will include talks and discussions by leading Sri Lankan activists and scholars. These topics will help Sri Lankans to better understand the different layers of their own city, Colombo.

Zahira Asmal is an urbanist and Director of The City, a research, publishing, and place-making agency, she founded in 2010. In her projects, Asmal seeks to enhance the making of public places in South African cities. Her current project, ‘See,’ explores contested urban histories, equal representation in the memorialisation of history, and the construction of resilient postcolonial urban places and identities.

The exhibition and all events are open to the public free of charge. In some cases registration may be required.

For updates, visit the website https://iseeyou.capetown/post/there-was-something-here-before/ or visit Facebook and Instagram on the page @thecityagency. For group tours of the exhibition, contact Menaka Rajapakse +94 77 876 0871.

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.