516-Year Legacy of the Salt River Battle Memorialised in Cape Town

A series of cultural, historical and commemorative activities will unfold over four days in observance of the 516th anniversary of the Battle of Salt River, to be commemorated on 1 March in Cape Town.

The Cape Town CBD will once again serve as the epicentre of the commemorations, culminating in the 11th Annual Victory Parade. The programme has been announced by the Adwa Movement in collaboration with practitioners, non-profits, platforms and institutions forming part of Roots, Culture, Heritage and Decolonisation Week. RCHD Week enters its second annual cycle in 2026.

Reflecting on Berlin Conference

Ras Hein Scheepers, Public Relations Officer of the Adwa Movement, confirmed that proceedings will begin on Thursday afternoon at the Africa Unite offices at 6 Spin Street. The opening event will be a panel discussion reflecting on the 141st anniversary of the Berlin Conference, which concluded on 25 February 1885.

During the inaugural RCHD Week in 2025, Patric Tariq Mellet, author of The Lie of 1652, delivered the first RCHD Public Lecture, setting the tone for a programme rooted in historical re-examination and Indigenous memory.

On Friday 27 February, activities will continue with a film screening at Bertha House in Mowbray. The documentaries In the Land of Ou Makai and Adwa: An African Victory will be featured. Later that evening, a music concert will be hosted at the Ras Centre in Athlone, with headline performances by HemelBesem and Conquerors Reggae Band.
A special guest performance by Jamaican Reggae artist, Culture Fox, adds an international flavour to the lineup.

On Saturday 28 February, the focus shifts to the University of the Western Cape in Bellville. Mothelo Motshekga, founding director of the Kara Heritage Institute, will deliver the second RCHD Public Lecture in observance of the anniversaries of Great African Battles.

The memorial lecture will honour the !Uri-Giri-!Gao warriors who defeated and killed Francisco de Almeida and 64 of his men on 1 March 1510 at the Battle of Salt River. The victory was secured by Indigenous forces armed primarily with spears and shields.

Unerasing Indigenous Identities

Scheepers said the commitment of RCHD Week is towards what organisers describe as the unerasure of Indigenous identities. The historical processes of slavery, colonisation and apartheid have left enduring legacies of trauma, land dispossession, cultural suppression and historical invisibility. These layered histories have resulted in intergenerational harm and weakened communal ties.

Within this context, cultural heritage work is advanced as restorative praxis. It seeks to centre dignity, memory and consciousness in pursuit of social justice, while working to prevent further erasure.

Participants will also have the opportunity to engage in a traditional Khoi-San healing rite of passage and thanksgiving ceremony on the evening of Saturday 28 February at the Castle of Good Hope. The ceremony will be conducted by experienced cultural practitioners, community elders and !Xam healers, continuing through the night until the commencement of the Victory Parade on Sunday morning.

Organisers say the observance is intended to facilitate healing and closure within ongoing struggles for recognition and empowerment among communities identifying with Khoi and San ancestry.

Victory Parade Through CBD

On Sunday 1 March, for the 11th consecutive year, grassroots communities are expected to gather in their hundreds, if not thousands, at the Kreizersgracht parking area on Darling Street. From there, they will proceed in a Victory Parade procession through the Cape Town CBD.

The commemorative programme will conclude at 17:00, with tribute paid to the !Uri-Giri-!Gao warriors who laid down their lives in defence of land and sovereignty during the 1510 conflict.

Making RCHD Week More Inclusive

According to Ras Hein, Adwa Movement was started by Activists from within the Rastafarian Community, and thus at first the Adwa x Salt River Victory marches were primarily attended by Rastafarians, but as collaboration grew with civil society organisations, activists and academics over the past decade, the annual Victory Parade has grown with inclusion of many beyond the Rasta community.

“Our aim is to make the Roots, Culture, Heritage and Decolonisation Week as inclusive as possible and create social awareness of how these four pillars of RCHD Week are interconnected, not only in terms of our collective history but also how very important it is for our future as Africans.”

As an official media partner of RCHD Week, we at Bruinou.com look forward to seeing you at all the exciting & vibrant free events hosted by the Adwa Movement, along with various other organisations and stakeholders.