Three stone cottages stand just outside the entrance to the (Kirstenbosch) National Botanical Gardens (NBG). For generations the cottages were occupied by gardeners, masons, foresters and the people of Protea (Village). All of these people were forcibly evicted from the area under the Group Areas Act between 1966 and 1969, along with the other residents of Protea.

The cottages are now part of the NBG, a monument to South African natural heritage and also to the memory of Cecil John Rhodes, who left his property "to the nation" in 1902.

In 1658 Dutch colonist Jan Van Riebeeck granted the farm Kirstenbosch to Leendert Cornelissen, who was responsible for the felling of yellowwood trees ‘for the purpose of selling wood to the company and other free masons to prevent indiscriminate hacking of the forest’. This farm was one of three neighbouring estates that relied on slave labour. The other farms were Boscheuvel (later renamed Protea and now called Bishopscourt) to the south of Protea Village, and the two farms Paradys and Boschbeek (later renamed Fernwood Estate). For 4 years after slaves were emancipated in 1834, they were required by law to remain ‘apprenticed’ to their masters. At Boscheuvel, farmworkers settled near the estate’s western border which was shared with Kirstenbosch. This area later became known as the ‘bo-dorp’ of Protea Village.

Bishop Robert and Sophia Gray established the Bishopscourt Estate in 1848. The Grays proceeded to convert the Khoi, Xhosas and the “Mosbiekers” (many of whom were Muslims from Mozambique) who lived there. The Church of the Good Shepherd was established in 1864 and became a central institution in the lives of the Protea villagers. The villagers built the stone church and cottages with stone quarried from the mountain.

These cottages now embody a sense of a place shaped by History and Nature. At this moment in October 2002, they are the focus of negotiations between the NBG and the Protea Village ex-residents, who are reclaiming their right to return to their previous homes.

The Protea Village Project was started in 2001, and was born out of the Museum's commitment to telling the stories of forced removals throughout South Africa, and inviting these forcibly removed communities to make their own contributions.

Protea Village (a small residential area in Cape Town located next to the National Botanical Gardens) is another example of an area that was removed under the Group Areas Act of 1950. Between 1966 and 1969, approximately 120 families were forced to leave their homes in Protea. This close-knit community was torn up, its members forced to start new lives on the Cape Flats (a barren area outside of Cape Town).

For the purposes of the exhibition we conducted our research in the State Archive, and also interviewed ex-residents of Protea at their homes on the Cape Flats. Approximately 55 families shared their stories of pain and loss with us.

People from the former community also particpated in a series of five workshops which allowed them to creatively engage with their memories. This process was aided by the use of photographic material sourced not only from archives and libraries, but also from their own private collections. For many of the participants, the workshops provided the opportunity for them to meet up with friends that hadn’t seen in decades.

In October 2002 the Protea Village Community and the District Six Museum opened the exhibition A History of Paradise, an exhibition about the life of the community of Protea, at the District Six Museum. Light boxes, family photographs and trees, a baptism register and archeological fragments from the former Village give visitors a taste of the colourful life of Protea. the exhibition can currently be seen in the Museum's memorial hall.