by: Luke Beasley and Patrick Toomey
Sunday, our group had achieved a
large degree of familiarity with the area in which we were staying in Cape
Town. Our street was quiet, with several quaint cafes and restaurants across
from the guest house, while only being a block away from one of the busiest
sections of the city center. Coming back from our free day, which many of us
spent at Camps Bay Beach (which sits right at the base of Table Mountain), we
were excited to explore a very different part of Cape Town.
We
spent our Sunday morning at Way of Life Church in Khayelitsha, the second
largest township in South Africa, and home to millions of people. It is
difficult, if not impossible, to gauge the exact number of residents in
Khayelitsha because such a large percentage of them live in “informal
settlements,” made up of tin shacks with no access to running water. At Way of
Life Church, we met Pastor Xola Skosana, and observed his congregations
service. It was definitely an unorthodox type of “religious” ceremony, and was
far more of a safe place for black South Africans to gather together and
discuss matters of white privilege and their experiences with oppression.
Pastor Xola Skosana made a point of asking us our names and majors, and
immediately after we finished sharing, he informed us that he “didn’t care” and
did not try to remember our information; as he explained, this was an exercise
in helping us as privileged Americans, many of us also being white, in
understanding the experience of being a “forgotten” member of South African
society (i.e. a black South African). The Pastor also asked us, “How are you
able to sleep at night?,” referring to the fact that we were visiting South
Africa to learn from its past, but in order to do so we required that victims
of Apartheid relive and retell their traumatizing experiences.
The meeting was definitely shocking,
and it took many of us several days to process. Although some people were angry
and upset, and certainly much of the group was at least confused, in the end it
was a vital moment for our group. It was jarring, and it made us question our
role in the world, and in Africa, as white people and as Americans. For many of
us, it was the first time when we were required to feel nameless and
forgettable, not to mention unwelcome, but it was undoubtedly a learning
experience.
The next morning we spent at the
District Six Museum learning about the area through the eyes of Noor Ebrahim.
According to Noor, District Six is an area of Cape Town where around 60,000
black South African people were forcibly removed and placed into the area of
the Cape Flats during Apartheid. Noor was living with his family in the
district at this time and was one of the many that who through this difficult
and unjust experience. Noor has told his story to many prominent figures
including Nelson Mandela. After learning so much about Apartheid the previous
week in Johannesburg, it was valuable to hear from the perspective of an
individual that was profoundly impacted. It once again made everyone try to comprehend
and understand an event that is so difficult for any of us to relate to.
After our challenging,
thought-provoking, and incredible two weeks in South Africa, everyone was
anxious to finally arrive in Windhoek and get acquainted with our new home. In
our first few days we took walking and driving tours trying to get sense of our
city. Now that we are becoming settled into our new home, there is so much to
look forward to in the next three months. With classes and internships starting
soon, we reflect on the incredible amount we have already learned while
preparing for the opportunities and experiences that are soon to come.
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