“The racist Hank used to attract people from all cultures to jazz nights”

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Racism at Hank’s Olde Irish is “all too familiar”, says arts and culture journalist Atiyyah Khan.

FILE: A screenshot of the viral video on Twitter. Image: Twitter screenshot

Lester Kiewit interviews arts and culture journalist Atiyyah Khan, a regular on the Cape Town jazz scene for years.

If you’re a Capetonian jazz fan, chances are you’ve relaxed with a drink or two at Hank’s Olde Irish, the jazz-lovers’ hangout.

But as arts and culture journalist Atiyyah Khan writes, “this popular spot was a melting pot of cultures on jazz nights and many can attest to that.”

Racial undertones at Hank’s Olde Irish have become more apparent, amid allegations of anti-establishment racism.

Pub owners are facing a major backlash after being accused of discriminatory admissions policies.

It comes after a viral video showed a white man confronting the owner after his black friend was told by the bouncer that he couldn’t enter without a white person.

Counter-assault charges were brought after a fight between the two sides and a case of criminal insult was reported to the police by the black boss.

RELATED: (WATCH) Cape Town pub in race after allegedly refusing entry to black man

When something like this happens, it’s all too familiar to us, and it’s very sad. Hank’s is by no means the only place in Cape Town known for this. There are others where a black bouncer would bounce the black clientele and those fights happen at the door and go unreported. In the era we are in, we have videos, on which it is difficult to go back. It is one of the few cities that has seen very little transformation in various sectors.

Atiyyah Khan, arts and culture journalist

The pub’s owners have refused to engage in media interviews about what happened over the weekend and have banned comments on their social media pages.

In the wake of the saga, a South African-Norwegian collaboration ConcertsSA has suspended its support for Hanks Olde Irish Pub events with immediate effect.

She explained that the performers weren’t booked by the owners of the Hanks, but rather by the promoters themselves.

Tuesday night jazz nights were a very special part of Cape Town nightlife. There was a mixed crowd. Tuesday nights were different because they were booked by a different person…someone who brought the event to that space.

Atiyyah Khan, arts and culture journalist

Khan said the ConcertSA suspension was a blow to musicians of color who constantly struggle to get gigs.

There are some places that only reserve white stripes. Much of the racism is not in the written policy, but we still run into the same problem. It’s such a familiar story. Ultimately, these sites need to realize that they have the ability to very clearly define their entry and gate policies from top to bottom.

Atiyyah Khan, arts and culture journalist

Scroll up for the interview.

This article first appeared on CapeTalk: “Hank’s racist used to attract people of all cultures to jazz nights”

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