Bryan seeing beyond tourist attractions

This blog post covers what I experienced from January 18-24^th. In these day I was able to try lots of different foods which ranged from crocodile to ostrich, and I was able to visit some great jazz clubs my favorite being Swingers, which had a vibe that appealed to me. Some of the major events that took place during this time would be the trip to Robben Island. This was amazing, because it really put into perspective the hardships that individuals like Mandela had to face including our tour guide who actually was imprisoned there and was able to share his experiences with our group. The next event was the District SixMuseum I found this to be very intriguing as we got a personal history of the events that unfolded by a man named Joe Schaffers. I thought this was an amazing opportunity, because he was one of the residents removed from District Six and relocated under apartheid in South Africa, and could remember details of the former District Six that were permanently lost aside from a few individuals. I had the opportunity to ask Joe why he continued to go back to give tours at the museum as I believed that the District Six Museum was more reminiscent of a mausoleum, than an actual museum, because it contained so many pictures of individuals who would have long been gone and so their stories were lost too. To him this museum was a way to tell his experience to the world, which was so much like others that it offered an overview if you will of the emotions felt by everyone in District Six and that alone was a reason for him to come and back to the museum and give tours. Another key moment was the community tour where we visited several of the townships around our home. This to me will be one of the defining moments in Cape Town, because I don’t believe in judging a place by the tourist attractions or the beautiful landscape. The true measure for me is how the poorest people live, while on the tour we saw housing that ranged from acceptable to make shift homes that were put together using the material the owner could find. This gave me a true look at the unequal distribution of wealth in Cape Town.

Bryan (far left) listening to Joe Schaffers, Educational Officer, at the District 6 Museum