Now, we
have nearly reached the end of orientation. We have seen both sides of Cape
Town; the staggeringly beautiful, and the harsh poverty. Being exposed to both
these sides have made me realize how many contradictions there are in this
city.
The community
tours had a huge impact on me. Driving in our huge tour bus, we looked on to
Langa, Manenberg, Khayelitsha, and Mitchell’s Plane. We saw miles and miles of
informal housing, metal roofs, and kids in streets. Residents of the townships
waved to us with extreme excitement on their face, and I felt so undeserving of
their excitement and welcoming, coming from a place of such privilege and
comfortable living. Having already learned about so many amazing people who had
come from the townships, I became astounded how they could persevere in this
environment. The community centers we visited, however, were places of
inspiration somewhere where so much devastation and oppression was felt.
In Langa,
we visited a community center in which they promoted artists and fostered
business skills so residents in the township could become financially
independent and stable. We learned how they created intricate pottery, and
trained people in Langa how to make the pottery themselves. We then met a sand
painter who creates beautiful paintings out of different colored sands. He
came to Cape Town with only R50, but by selling 4 pieces of art was able to
sustain himself and become the successful man he is today. He mused over the
fact that he has a house, family, and a car; things that are often taken for
granted in my home country. We then learned how to play African drums, which
was one of my favorite parts of orientation. This center was truly
awe-inspiring, and further challenged notions of what causes or maintains poverty,
as believed in the US.
 |
Eric, Megan, Collette, Josh, & Charity enjoy their drumming lesson at Guga S'Thebe Arts & Cultural Centre in Langa |
Another
community center that really impacted me was the Manenberg People’s Center.
There, we met a class of 30 students who came to the center every Friday in
order to deter them from gangsterism in their township. The kids were
astounding; someone asked them what they wanted to do when they grew up, and
one boy answered with a prepared list of “businessman, choreographer, architect
and navy man.” Luigi, our tour guide of sorts in the center, told us how they
also provided food to hundreds of people a day, and helped students with
applying to college and jobs. I really hope to be able to work with them during
my stay in Cape Town.
These
experiences have made me very anxious to begin my internship with Right2Know.
The organization seems amazing and powerful, and I can not wait to learn from
them, and provide whatever assistance I can with helping the people we met
during our orientation.
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