Bringing a Lost Neighbourhood Back to Life

Some places hold so many stories, songs, and memories that they feel alive. Sophiatown was one of those places. It was a vibrant, diverse neighbourhood in Johannesburg where people created music, raised families, shared food, and built a rich community culture. But during apartheid, Sophiatown was forcibly demolished. Homes were destroyed, families were removed, and an entire way of life was scattered. Today, very little of the physical neighbourhood remains. Because so much of Sophiatown was erased, we can’t simply use old buildings or maps to rebuild it in virtual reality. There are few photographs, almost no surviving structures, and very little physical data to work from. This means traditional methods of creating digital heritage—where we measure, scan, or photograph what still exists—don’t work here.

Listening to the People Who Remember

Even though the buildings are gone, the people who lived in Sophiatown still carry it with them. Their memories—what the streets felt like, where neighbours gathered, what music played at night—are powerful sources of knowledge. These stories are called ethnographic sources. They tell us about: Tangible details: how a room looked, where a shop stood, how the houses were arranged. Intangible details: the laughter, the routines, the celebrations, the struggles, and the shared humanity that made Sophiatown special. By speaking with former residents, writing down their stories, and looking for patterns between their memories, we can slowly piece together what the neighbourhood was like—not just physically, but emotionally and culturally.

Turning Stories Into a Digital World

When several people remember the same places or events, those memories help guide how we build the digital version. Their stories help us understand how spaces were used, what mattered to the community, and what made Sophiatown feel alive. In the virtual environment, users can hear real voices from these interviews and experience the neighbourhood not as a perfect reconstruction, but as a living tapestry of memories.

Why This Matters This approach allows us to represent places that were damaged or erased through injustice. It gives voice to communities whose heritage was disrupted or silenced. By combining technology with human experience, we can honour the past more fairly—preserving not only what can be measured, but also the feelings, traditions, and stories that made Sophiatown a place of deep cultural significance.

By having gone through this process, we aim to bring more cultural sites back to life through a similar method of engagement.