Township Tour

Peace all,

Last weekend, my program scheduled a Township Tour to a town called Khayelitsha. Khayelitsha is the second biggest Township in South Africa after Soweto. At first, a few of my friends and I were a bit hesitant to attend this trip. Our idea of a township tour was one that took foreigners, in larger groups, to tour what poverty looks like. We didn’t want to exploit the people in the township, so we decided to opt out. I really hate seeing pictures from foreigners who would come to Africa to capture people living in poverty. I find it very disrespectful that people would take photos of those in poverty and not get a chance to know who the people are in those photos. I think it is vital to know the stories behind the pictures taken. Seeing that the tour was only three hours, I knew that we wouldn’t get a chance to actually interact with the people in the township and I wasn’t in the mood to hear the flashing of cameras from the tour group.

Before the bus departed for the tour, my friends and I had to ask the tour guide what the tour actually entailed. He told us that we would 1) visit a school in the township and have the opportunity to meet the principle and some of the students. 2) Take a bus tour to the different parts of the township. 3) Have lunch at a local restaurant. His description of the tour didn’t seem as bad as I thought, so my friends and I decided to take the chance to see for ourselves—It was the best decision that I had made.

The principle gave us some background history about township schools: the lack of trained teachers, textbooks, and support from government officials. This to me was synonymous to Public schools in inner cities in America. Once again Black people always get the short end of the stick! He always told us about the poverty in Khayelitsha and how it affects the students from learning. Some of the students would come to school hungry or with uniforms that no longer fit. The principle, who has dedicated his life to higher education in townships, has pushed for the government to provide breakfast and lunch to high school students. Can you imagine being in school for 7 hours hungry? Can you imagine trying to function on an empty stomach for more than 2 days? The very poor parts of Khayelitsha, where most of the students live, lack adequate sanitation facilities that affect both health and exposure to crime.
After the heart breaking/uplifting talk about this particular school in Khayelitsha, we had the chance to meet some of the students who are involved in the arts and culture department of the school. The students performed for us and we were able to learn some new South African dance moves while there.

View the videos.

More on Khayelitsha when I return!