Soraya Stanbul's life, like the silent stones of Mowbray Cemetery, speaks to the complex intersections of identity, history, and belonging in South Africa.
Born in Cape Town in 1924, Soraya’s journey was shaped by a legacy that stretches across continents and centuries, tracing back to her grandmother Zainab, who was brought to Cape Town from Istanbul in the late 19th century. Zainab’s story itself is a tale of migration, resilience, and adaptation, a thread that would weave itself into the life of her granddaughter, Soraya.
Zainab’s journey to South Africa began long before Soraya was born. In 1883, Zainab, a young woman from Istanbul, was married to Sheikh Mohammed Modani, a learned professor from Medina.
Their marriage was celebrated in Cape Town with traditional Muslim rites, an event that marked a new chapter in Zainab’s life, a life shaped by tragedy and the winds of change.
Her parents had tragically lost their lives during the Russo-Turkish War of 1878, and in the aftermath of their deaths, Zainab was brought to South Africa by Shaikh Abubakr Effendi, a prominent figure within the Muslim community.
Zainab’s arrival in Cape Town was a turning point, one that would set the course for her children and grandchildren. Though she lived and died in Cape Town, Zainab’s presence was never forgotten.
Among the Muslim community, she was often referred to as the “Stanbully bride”, a nod to her Istanbul origins, and her descendants would carry the surname Stanbul as a tribute to the land from which she came.
Soraya Stanbul’s life began in the heart of Cape Town in 1924, the granddaughter of a woman who had journeyed from Istanbul in search of a new life. Yet, despite her rich heritage, Soraya’s life was to be shaped by the harsh realities of apartheid South Africa. As the granddaughter of an immigrant, Soraya’s family was caught between two worlds: the legacy of her Ottoman ancestors and the bitter racial divisions of the country in which she was born.
Soraya found herself trapped in a system that defined people by the colour of their skin. As a member of the “coloured” community, Soraya’s white skin offered her no reprieve from the oppressive systems of racial segregation and discrimination that permeated every facet of life.
Her family, with their Ottoman heritage, were often caught between the rigid racial categories of apartheid South Africa. While they were not part of the “white” elite, they were also not fully accepted by the black or coloured communities.
Her white skin, an inheritance from her Ottoman grandfather, was of little use in a world where the “black destiny” of the oppressed was inevitable.
The journey from Istanbul to Cape Town was a journey through history, one that bore the weight of colonialism, racism, and identity struggle.
Soraya Stanbul passed away in 2007, her final resting place in Mowbray Cemetery, a site that holds the stories of many like her immigrants, survivors, and everyday people whose lives were shaped by the forces of history.
* Halim Gençoğlu is a historian with PhD from UCT and is a post-doctoral fellow at Wits University.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
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