west coast culture

The west coast is loaded with history of many cultures and many legends. It may be one of the safest destinations in South Africa, but it is also a place to hear a good story told.

West Coast language is a dialect of its own, and can be seen as rarer than diamonds or gold. West Coast people can come up with the most intriguing concepts and names on earth - all rich with true authentic West Coast culture.

Archaeologists believe that the West Coast people were the first to inhabit earth. When the first Europeans came to South Africa, Khoi and Bushmen had already been living here for ages. You can still clearly see their history and stories of life here by their fascination paintings, so well preserved by the dry air in the caves whose walls they adorned.

Perhaps because of the vast and varied history and the mysteries engendered therein, storytelling is knotted into true West Coast traditions. Like all true fishermen, West coast folk know how to tell a good story. In tune with the natural elements on which they depend for their livelihood, you can see the knowledge and compassion in the eyes of these folk as they look out to sea, or read the change of winds to know whether to expect squalls or rain.

These people also know their seafood and the best ways to cook it. A west coast feast is just that... a feast of the eyes, tastebuds and senses. Try to experience a fest on the beach at one of the beachside restaurants, or get a permit and get your own seafood and ask a west coast dweller to cook it for you.

West Coasters might not have Table Mountain or Robben Island or very big malls, but they have true simplicity in their honest west coast existence. Whether it is the West Coast business development centre helping entrepreneurs develop new skills, West Coast mussel farmers enthusiastically reaping the rewards of their own mussel farms thanks to the Masiza empowerment project or the enthusiastic tourists flocking to our towns for a true West Coat experience in true west coast tradition, the West Coast is filled with life.