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Sophiatown
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Sophiatown

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Sophiatown , also known as '''Sof'town or Kofifi''', is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. Sophiatown was a poor multi-racial area and a black cultural hub that was destroyed under apartheid. It produced some of South Africa's most famous writers, musicians, politicians and artists, like Father Huddleston, Can Themba, Bloke Modisane, Es'kia Mphahlele, Arthur Maimane, Todd Matshikiza, Nat Nakasa, Casey Motsisi, Dugmore Boetie, and Lewis Nkosi.

Key facts

Settlement.name
Sophiatown
Settlement.other_name
Sof'town, Kofifi, Triomf
Settlement.image_map
SophiatownStreetMap.jpg
Settlement.pushpin_map
South Africa Gauteng#South Africa
Settlement.subdivision_type
Country
Settlement.subdivision_name
South Africa
Settlement.subdivision_type1
Province
Settlement.subdivision_name1
Gauteng
Settlement.subdivision_type2
District
Settlement.subdivision_type3
Municipality
Settlement.subdivision_name3
City of Johannesburg
Settlement.subdivision_type4
Main Place
Settlement.subdivision_name4
Johannesburg
Settlement.established_title
Established
Settlement.leader_title
Councillor
Settlement.area_total_km2
0.95
Settlement.population_total
5371
Settlement.population_as_of
2011

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of
suburb
Image
MelvilleKoppiesWest.jpg
Dialing code
011
Show 3 more facts
inception
1899-01-01
postal code
2092
Commons category
Sophiatown
Sources (4)

via Wikidata · CC0

~23 min read

Encyclopedic overview

22 sections
Contents
  • History
  • Forced removals
  • Triomf
  • Restoration of the name Sophiatown
  • Geography and geology
  • Culture
  • Early life in Sophiatown
  • Arts and literature
  • Crime and gangsterism
  • Landmarks
  • The Church of Christ the King
  • Dr A. B. Xuma's house
  • Good Street
  • St Joseph's Home for Children
  • The Odin Cinema
  • Freedom Square
  • St Cyprian's Missions School
  • Oak tree in Bertha Street
  • Notable residents
  • See also
  • References
  • External links

Sophiatown , also known as '''Sof'town or Kofifi''', is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. Sophiatown was a poor multi-racial area and a black cultural hub that was destroyed under apartheid. It produced some of South Africa's most famous writers, musicians, politicians and artists, like Father Huddleston, Can Themba, Bloke Modisane, Es'kia Mphahlele, Arthur Maimane, Todd Matshikiza, Nat Nakasa, Casey Motsisi, Dugmore Boetie, and Lewis Nkosi.

Rebuilt as a whites-only area under the name of Triomf ("Triumph") in the 1960s, in 2006 it was officially returned to its original name. Sophiatown was one of the oldest black areas in Johannesburg and its destruction represented the human rights violations in South Africa under apartheid.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Sophiatown” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (12)

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3 mapped locations