Pieces of broken glass crunched into the sand under our feet
as we walked. The air was dusty and smelled of garbage that was too long
neglected and was left to rot by the side of the road. The sun is hot, burning
our skin even through our clothes. Stray dogs wander through the streets
looking for food and companions. This is the Africa that you see in National Geographic and unfortunately it
is a sad reality in some areas.
The Townships were created under apartheid rule and were the
places where black and coloured peoples were forced to resettle. These places
still exist and many still live there.
Many homes are dilapidated. Others made of found items. Some
seemed unsuitable to live in, but then you see the eyes of a small child peek
through a window and you knew that that hovel was still a home.
As soon as the children saw us, they started screaming at
the top of their lungs “WHITE PEOPLE!!! WHITE PEOPLE!!!!” White people are a
commodity in these parts. White people mean money.
The children held our hands and walked with us, all the
while laughing and smiling. They looked at our fancy cameras and begged us to
take photos of them. We complied.
The poverty here is immense. Yes there is running water,
electricity and bathrooms, but the amount and reliability of these vary greatly.
Many of the adults work in Cape Town for minimum wage. 20 US dollars could feed a person for a week. 20 US dollars is the equivalent of 160 Rand.
Despite the poverty the people we met were happy to see us.
They wanted to tell us about apartheid, about what it was like living in a
township. It may seem like a touristy and mean thing to do, you would never
tour a ghetto or slum in the US or any other western country, but taking the taxis
there, buying food, buying crafts, visiting the church and youth centers, not
only brings attention to the issue but puts money into the pockets of people
who truly need it.
You never realize how much you have in your life until you
see people with so little and you never realize how thankful you are for what
you have until you look a person in the eye knowing that what you may make in
a couple of hours flipping burgers at McDonalds in the US, feeds a family for a couple
of weeks.
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| A child grabs the arm of a tourist. |
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| A broken seat sits by the side of the road |
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| Used electronics are piled on the roof of a closed electronics store |
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| The view of Table Mountain from the township |
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| Children wave as we passed by |
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| A child gathers scrap wood |
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