Amelia finding hope for a brighter future

Bear with me as it’s been awhile since my last post. Last week I began my activist project at Reaching For the Stars organization based in the township of Kuyasa, Khayelitsha. I was excited to meet the inspirational people I’ve heard so much about from Kayla and Emily who just started interning there. This organization is unique because since it lost all consistent funding a few years back and is essentially restarting itself from the grassroots.

When we arrived in Khayelitsha Mams, the owner gave us a tour of the community and showed us where she lived, where the makeshift office is, and the primary schools in the area. While walking around in Khayelitsha I felt a closer sense of community among the people living there. Every single person greeted you as you walked down the road even if you’ve never met before. The shacks are so small and so close together that people would just go to their neighbor a few houses down to use electricity to heat water up for tea. It seemed that people were willing to share the resources they had as everyone had different situations whether they were living in a significantly small house with access to electricity and running water or in an informal house with almost nothing.

Mams then took us to a shipping container that has been renovated to suit small businesses where her office is going to be working out of. They generally have windows, doors, and some even with electricity and pluming. There was nothing in the container except for a few boxes of books and a couch. We are to be assisting setting up finding furniture and office supplies in addition to relocating the container so that her business doesn’t compete with the services in that area. After learning all the things she needed our help with we wanted to familiarize ourselves with the goals and objectives of the organization so we read her constitution. Reach For the Stars aims to empower youth in the community, provide an artistic outlet for children, and provide support and resources for gender based violence victims. Initially we were concerned because there’s a lot the organization wants to tackle without any concrete plans of action however this is why we’re here to help. I’m excited to bring all my skills to this organization because I know any effort is needed and the work they do is crucial to maintaining the livelihood community.

The following day I headed to a musical festival with some of my co-educators, which was a fun experience where I was able to interact with people from all over the world, and even met someone who lives 20 minutes from my house in CT, how crazy! I felt guilty coming home though because the money she needed just to move her container from one spot to another is how much money I spent on a concert ticket, which just highlights the stark contrast between our lives.

However one of my favorite activities I’ve done thus far was going to Mzoli’s Place in Gugulhethu, a township in Cape Town. In order to get the full experience I took a mini-bus there with some co-workers, which we fit about 20 people in one car where I was fortunate enough to have a real seat. When we got there I was surprised to see the hundreds of people there and so many white people. My co-workers then informed me that even though it was in the township it is a tourist attraction due to all the great meat and good vibes. They definitely weren’t lying because it was 12:00pm and that place was jammed packed. Between 10 of us we purchased 500R worth of meat and they even showed us the several braai grills they cook it on. As we waited for our food we headed to the seating area which looked like an outdoor picnic that turned into a club. There were people everywhere, some eating, a lot were dancing, and everyone just seemed to be having a fantastic time. There was a DJ and a live drummer there and the music was great to dance to. Not to mention the food was absolutely delicious! What really blew me away was how diverse and beautiful the crowd was. I’ve never seen so many people of different races and cultures intertwined and so happy together. Almost every table that had white people in it, there were just as many black people and this was across all ages. This is a rare sighting in South Africa so I was in awe of how beautifully peaceful and fun loving everyone was there. I remember seeing a young couple consisting of a girl who was as dark as night and her boyfriend who was whiter than a sheet of paper but they looked so in love and I just thought to how 20 years ago they would be in jail for being with each other. Though I’m aware of South Africa’s history and current complexity with race, it’s moments like those that give me hope for a brighter future where everyone can peacefully coexist with each other.