The Sun, Moon, and New Beginnings

Today I went on a cultural tour of District 6 and three of the townships in Cape Town, in my opinion a definite must for anyone wanting to visit Cape Town. It really gives you a sense of what the blacks and coloured people of South Africa went through during apartheid and what they continue to struggle with today. The tour began with a drive through District 6 which was the first area deemed by the government during the days of aparthied as whites only. Any homes that were owned by blacks or coloured people were demolished. All that remained were homes owned by white people and places of education or worship. Many areas in District 6 are still empty to this day although they are now beginning to build homes for the original people of District 6 to return. After driving around the area we went to the District 6 museum to get a better idea of what the people who lived their went through.

After the museum we went to Landa (Afrikaans for 'sun') which is one of the many townships in Cape Town. When the township was first built only men were allowed to live there, meaning they had to leave their wives behind. After a few years the government allowed women to move into Landa because they realized women were needed to do jobs such as childcare in the area. We were taken into an arts centre where we met residents who were busy making pottery and picture frames to sell. Because the unemployment rate is so high in the townships, programs like these are created to teach the people skills that they can use to make a living.

Next we visited another township, Nyunga (Afrikaans for 'moon'.) The first stop was to visit a medicine doctor where we learned about natural healing and how witch doctors are chosen by fate. The witch doctor was in a tiny shack filled with tried animal parts and random bottles of liquids and creams. After visiting the witch doctor we went to an outdoor patio restaurant for lunch called Myzoni's Meats. The table was served a giant bowl with bbq'd chicken, lamb, and sausage along with a loaf of sliced bread. For the vegetarians, we were served creamed spinach, creamed pumpkin and a traditional dish made of maize. It was very delicious and the first cultural meal I've had since I arrived.

The last township we visited was Khayelitsha (Afrikaans for 'new beginnng') which is the largest township on the Western cape and the second largest township in South Africa next to Soweto. It currently has over 2 000 000 residents. We stopped off at Vicky's B&B, the smallest hotel in South Africa. The B&B was started in 1997 to allow tourists to experience and better understand life in the townships. Vicky is also very involved in the community and helps to feed the hungry and keep children busy and out of trouble. Afterwards we went across the road to Beauty's B&B and Sewing Project. Beauty was a very inspiring person to meet. She is also very involved in the community and helps train people to sew which they can use to make a living for themselves.

Out on the streets we had many children coming to meet us and all wanted to have their pictures taken. Everywhere you turned they were more and more children coming. As we drove off the children would run behind the van until they couldn't run anymore. It was certainly a site to see.

I feel very priviledged to have had the opportunity to meet some of the people in these townships and to hear their stories about their triumphs and their struggles. For those who are still struggling even after apartheid they don't give up because they know that tomorrow could bring big changes to their lives.