The Indonesian Consulate General in Cape Town on Friday (03/12) 2021 attended the Declaration of Karamats within the Circle of Tombs as National Heritage Sites. This activity is the determination of the grave of Sayed Abdul Malik, an Indonesian cleric which has been designated as a national cultural heritage by the South African Heritage Resources Agency.
With the establishment of Sayed Abdul Malik's tomb as a national heritage site , the building will be protected and maintained by the state, namely by the South African Heritage Resources Agency.
Based on records Muslim directory, Sayed Abdul Malik came from Indonesia who arrived in Cape Town towards the end of the 18th century. Sayed Abdull Malik became a confidant of Tuan Guru who was also an archipelago cleric from Tidore who was the first to build a mosque in South Africa.
The Cape Mazaars Society as the initiator of the designation of Sayed Abdul Malik's grave as part of South Africa's national cultural heritage revealed that this was a long process that began in the 1980s. Currently, there are 10 graves of ulama that have been designated as national heritage sites out of all 31 graves of scholars targeted.
In his remarks delivered by the Social and Cultural Affairs function, the Indonesian Consul General in Cape Town said that Sayed Abdul Malik along with Tuan Guru and Sheikh Yusuf were several Indonesian scholars from the archipelago who enriched South African culture in the context of spirituality. Indonesian clerics have colored the development of South Africa from the beginning of their arrival to the present day. It is hoped that the establishment of Sayed Abdul Malik's grave as a national heritage will enrich and strengthen bilateral relations between South Africa and Indonesia.
At the end of the event, the Indonesian Consulate General in Cape Town distributed caps to those present in order to maintain and strengthen the momentum of Indonesia's presence on African soil.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Capetown, The Republic of South Africa.
Source: Apo-Opa
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