Me, PJ, and Robin decided to do a “township tour.” Just in case…townships are all black and coloured areas around cities and towns. Some of the townships were created through forced removals during Apartheid, some are squatter settlements, and some developed through general segregation policies. They are vibrant communities that range from densely populated tin and wooden shacks to densely populated dorm-style housing to neighborhoods with modest but nice houses. There are certainly issues with access to electricity and running water and residential space and unemployment and economic poverty in certain areas of the townships, but despite many commonly held conceptions, they are interesting and friendly communities worthy of attention.
I had a number of hesitations going into exploring these parts of Cape Town on a guided tour. It seems like it could be more of an outsider tourist experience rather than an immersion experience, and also I really did not feel comfortable about the “voyeurism into the life of the poor” sound it had to it. I decided to go for it for a few reasons. The townships were a part of Cape Town that I really wanted to see. I was able to see the waterfront, and Robben Island, and Table Mountain, which are all parts of Cape Town, so why shouldn’t I also see Langa, and Gugulethu, and Khayelitsha, or other parts of the townships? Also, the group is very small (it was five of us) with a tour company that is owned and operated by people who live in the townships. I also thought it would be interesting and very educational.
After the experience itself I think a lot of my predictions came out to be essentially accurate. There were times where I felt like an invasive, voyeuristic outsider, but overall it was a very interesting and informative and valuable experience. People are totally friendly and I got to surprise a few folks when I was able to greet them in Xhosa. In addition to meeting some people and physically seeing the neighborhoods, our guide Zoliswa told us a lot about issues of squatter settlements, and apartheid-era forced removals, and current progress (or lack thereof in some cases) on housing rehabilitation and development. I don’t have any pictures, but just do an image search online for Langa, or Gugulethu, or Khayelitsha to see some general pictures of the area if you feel inspired.
This was also definitely one of those identity-questioning experiences as in my head I was running back and forth between where I come from and where I live and then the dorm style housing in Langa where three families (yes, three FAMILIES) lived in a room hardly bigger than my double in my first year at BC. Poverty sucks in a lot of ways. Though in a lot of ways, capitalistic economic development might get rid of some of the best parts of the townships in their sense of communal living and friendly interaction as opposed to individual property and private space. Again, I don’t know what to do, but I don’t think I’ll forget that experience for a long time. It’s also interesting to compare township life in Cape Town and township life in Grahamstown. I spend two days a week up in the township here, and though I’m still obviously somewhat of an outsider, I’ve really got a community that feels like a home in Ethembeni Senior Centre (see previous entries).
I had a number of hesitations going into exploring these parts of Cape Town on a guided tour. It seems like it could be more of an outsider tourist experience rather than an immersion experience, and also I really did not feel comfortable about the “voyeurism into the life of the poor” sound it had to it. I decided to go for it for a few reasons. The townships were a part of Cape Town that I really wanted to see. I was able to see the waterfront, and Robben Island, and Table Mountain, which are all parts of Cape Town, so why shouldn’t I also see Langa, and Gugulethu, and Khayelitsha, or other parts of the townships? Also, the group is very small (it was five of us) with a tour company that is owned and operated by people who live in the townships. I also thought it would be interesting and very educational.
After the experience itself I think a lot of my predictions came out to be essentially accurate. There were times where I felt like an invasive, voyeuristic outsider, but overall it was a very interesting and informative and valuable experience. People are totally friendly and I got to surprise a few folks when I was able to greet them in Xhosa. In addition to meeting some people and physically seeing the neighborhoods, our guide Zoliswa told us a lot about issues of squatter settlements, and apartheid-era forced removals, and current progress (or lack thereof in some cases) on housing rehabilitation and development. I don’t have any pictures, but just do an image search online for Langa, or Gugulethu, or Khayelitsha to see some general pictures of the area if you feel inspired.
This was also definitely one of those identity-questioning experiences as in my head I was running back and forth between where I come from and where I live and then the dorm style housing in Langa where three families (yes, three FAMILIES) lived in a room hardly bigger than my double in my first year at BC. Poverty sucks in a lot of ways. Though in a lot of ways, capitalistic economic development might get rid of some of the best parts of the townships in their sense of communal living and friendly interaction as opposed to individual property and private space. Again, I don’t know what to do, but I don’t think I’ll forget that experience for a long time. It’s also interesting to compare township life in Cape Town and township life in Grahamstown. I spend two days a week up in the township here, and though I’m still obviously somewhat of an outsider, I’ve really got a community that feels like a home in Ethembeni Senior Centre (see previous entries).
