2 years. And it was just as I'd remembered it.
Cape Town is a beautiful port, with Table Mountain as a backdrop, its
bustling people, and its convenience, in terms of dining options,
grocery shopping, entertainment, and safety. So far, I think this
was the port that people have been most sad about leaving.
I co-led an Academic Field Program (AFP) for the International
Communications Learning Circle during our first three days. It was
a nice opportunity to spend time with students and to learn about
topics which I might not have inquired otherwise. I then had the
last 4 days to explore other things.
Highlights of the week:
*Visiting SA Breweries in Newlands--I learned about the Black
Economic Empowerment initiatives, which attempt to re-distribute the
wealth among black business owners. These initiatives obviously aim
at reducing the SES gap among races. My question, however, is in how
these initiatives are put into practice and how they are received by
all parties involved.
*Attending lectures at the University of Cape Town--UCT is a
beautiful campus and appeared to have a very international student
population. Some of our students even expressed interest in studying
there in the future.
*Attending a comedy show at the Baxter Theatre, "Joe Barber 4 the
People"--The show was in Afrikaans and apparently very funny. I say
apparently because I probably only understood about 10% of what was
said. I still really enjoyed it, as it provided a window into local
arts and entertainment. The most amusing part: The audience was
laughing HYSTERICALLY--I mean rolling in their chairs. And then I'd
look down at our row of TSS people, and all of us have these blank
confused look on our faces. I wish I could have captured it on video.
*Going to a Rugby Game, New Zealand's Crusaders versus South Africa's
Stormers: Kim, one of our Port Programs goddesses, is from New
Zealand, and truly loves her some rugby. She organized for over 80
of us to go to the game. The only thing that I knew about Rugby
beforehand was that it resembles American football, which it did--
except the clock doesn't stop after every play, which I liked. It
was fun to be involved in a sporting event in another culture. We
had banners and all!
*Meeting South Africa Journalism Instructors from the Cape Peninsula
University of Technology (CPUT): This lecture was the highlight of
the AFP for me--It was enlightening, moving, and inspiring. There
was so much emotion and passion in the voices of our presenters as
they spoke of the apartheid days and the impact on communication and
journalism. I was able to ask some of my questions regarding race
relations today. One of the speakers spoke of the inferiority/
superiority complex that still plays out in the interpersonal
dynamics among blacks and whites. This made an impression on me and
really resonated with what I have observed.
*Cape Town Pride Parade and Festival: What a fun day this was!
Ashley, Amanda, Dan (one of our students), and I sat in a little
balcony restaurant and watched all the floats go by in all their
rainbow colors. There were floats of dance parties, people dressed
in drag, and advocates demonstrating their pride and support for the
LGBT community in Cape Town. Afterwards, the four of us went to the
Pride Festival, where we ran into some other TSS'ers--and drank wine,
danced to the band, and met some of the parade participants, all
dolled up in their outfits!
*Riikka's Birthday at Cafe Africa: It was Riikka's birthday, so she
and Greg organized a shuttle to take a big group of us to Cafe Africa
for dinner. Cafe Africa is a cute little restaurant, with lots of
traditional art and dress and delicious cuisine. My favorite moment:
Amanda and Amy started singing a traditional African song, and into
the room appears one of the wait staff joining the chorus, singing in
a voice that filled the room with its beauty and soul.
*Table Mountain Hike and Abseil: The hike up Table Mountain was a
little hard core--Pretty steep (not dangerous, though, Mom--just an
incline) and hot but worth every step. I had hiked it a couple years
ago with Michael P. (Hi Pulju!) and remember the spectacular views
along the way and at the top. We had considered taking the Cable Car
but then were in the mood to "earn" our view. Once we got to the
top, we abseiled (repelled) down the side of the mountain--crazy,
insane, and so much fun. What were we thinking hanging off the
cliff?! It's such a high--Never do I feel as present or alive as I
do in such moments.
*Cape of Good Hope Tour: Erik, Nancy, and I, along with a few other
travelers, signed up for a little biking/wine tour. Not a whole lot
of biking or wine, but still fun. We saw penguins, we hiked to the
most southwestern tip of Africa (Cape of Good Hope), we biked along
the country roads, and tasted some delicious pinotage, port, and
muscat. After the tour, Nancy and I made it just in time to see the
beautiful sun set, in all its colors, over Camps Bay.
*Lunch with Nicole: Ashley and I had lunch with one of our students
from the first voyage! She lives in Cape Town and came to the port
to meet up with us. It was so fun to see her and to exchange some
good TSS gossip:) I can only imagine what it was like for her to see
the ship again. I remember the nostalgic "homesick" feeling I felt
when I visited the ship for the first time after my SAS voyage.
*District Six Museum: District Six was the area in Cape Town where
thousands of black African families were uprooted from their homes
and communities and displaced into townships outside of the city--
where they live in meager housing conditions and among the highest
rates of crime, rape, and poverty. The museum was created to tell
their life stories and as an attempt to reclaim what had been taken
away from them during the apartheid era. The devastation among these
residents has clearly left it's mark, as is evidenced by the
artifacts, inscriptions, and quotes in the museum.
I am fascinated with South Africa and perpetually found myself
wondering what's "behind the scenes" in the daily lives of its people
following the post-apartheid movement. How does this history of
suppression play out in the present, both implicitly and explicitly?
What is the undercurrent that exists between the co-existing races?
How do people even begin to recover from a history of suppression?
Even though the apartheid system is no longer legally in place,
people must still remember, right? As you can see, the same
questions keep swimming around in my head, especially knowing that
millions of South Africans, mostly black Africans (who make up the
majority--79.5%) , continue to live in poverty, as is evidenced in
the townships. And even though 79.5% of the population is black
South African, I saw a very high concentration of whites. So how
does this reflect the current distribution of wealth and power? And
how does this reflect the places where I was and the activities I
chose to do? Definitely something to think about. What does it mean
to be privileged? I think the answer lies partly in having a
choice. I can choose to live simply or with less materialism but I
have the "privilege" of making that choice. Not everyone does.
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