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| Brittany (in red) on bus from airport |
Although I’ve only been in Cape Town for roughly five days, I have fallen in love with Cape Town! The landscape of Cape Town is not the only thing that makes it beautiful. I am finding more and more that the people of Cape Town seem to be genuinely warm and welcoming. In fact, I have already begun to think of ways to stay here longer or come back! However, amidst all the beauty, Cape Town is not perfect. We have not focused on the less attractive side of Cape Town but there are tall tell signs that are impossible to ignore. These signs show that while the landscape is beautiful, it is not equally shared by all. But then again, no rose is without its thorns. In this blog I would like to highlight some of my most wonderful experiences in Cape Town thus far. But I would also like to recognize the thorns in these experiences that point to inequality.
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| Brittany (top left) Maidens Cove |
On Sunday we had a thorough of Cape Town. With our trusty driver Les we were able to travel the coast viewing the most beautiful sights. We stopped along the way and were able to take in breath taking scenery. The neighborhood we passed through called Sea Point was built up around the coast. It was luxurious and high end; the most expensive real estate is in this area. I am not a writer so I can’t describe to you how amazing this place was but take my word for it, it was Beautiful. This district was built on the best land with the best view. As we continued along the coast I thought “Is this heaven?” But as stated earlier, the rose of Cape Town is not without its thorns. Only a couple hours later our bus started moving inland. As we moved from the swanky section we came across a community called Ocean View. Oddly enough the community of Ocean View was not within view of any ocean. Our facilitator Vernon explained how this had once been a community of Fishers who were forced off their land to make way for rich areas like Sea Point. Ocean view is a blaring sign of the issues of Racism still affecting Cape Town. It seems the best in Cape Town is reserved not only for the rich but for whites.
The next day our group headed to the University of Cape Town (UCT). Following a campus safety talk, our tour guide gave us an amazing tour of UCT. Just like Cape Town, I fell in love with the campus. The architecture is amazing. Once again I thought that I am moving to Cape Town. However, within the same day I was also saw the negative aspects of Cape Town. Traveling up to Signal Mountain, I felt like I was on top of the world. However, as I looked out I saw the beauty but was reminded of the lasting effects of racism. The barrenness of district six was so visible and tragic. The history of District Six is that they were a displaced colored community during the South African Apartheid. They were forced to leave the district in order to move out and make way for a white community. While the area was never rebuilt, countless lives were displaced and destroyed.
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| District 6 |
I am so excited for my future experiences in South Africa. I have only begun to understand the history and issues surrounding this beautiful place. This will be a life changing experience
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