Day 13. Cape Town. (27c, bright and windy) Last full day in Cape Town was an interesting one - thought provoking, humbling, inspiring and uneasy. (Grab a brew, this is one of the longer posts) I had booked on the walk to freedom tour today, which was all about the detail of South Africas more modern social history, its legacy of struggles and what is being done to build on the mistakes of the past for a new South Africa. First stop of the day was District 6, which I mentioned earlier on in the travel journals, and we took a walk round some of the area, ending up at the District 6 museum. This small museum is packed with information (possibly too much) about district 6 and how life was before the bulldozers decimated it, the communities and families who lived there. One of the more poignant displays there was a massive linen roll on which locals wrote stories of how district 6 was. These stories have then been embroidered onto the cloth to provide a permanent reminder. Moving on from district 6 we headed out of the city centre towards the suburbs, passing Cape Flats (the location for the displaced residents of District 6) out to a township in the suburbs of Cape Town called Langa. I was initially a bit sceptical about going there - was hoping it wasnt going to be a bus the rich white tourists in to look at the poverty thing, but it is far from it. Langa is the oldest and largest black township in Cape Town, and they have deliberately put together an industry around encouraging visitors to see the Township, and by doing so funding a lot of community projects and redevelopment. We were taken round the Township by a local guide who walked us through various art projects that have been put in place to teach people a trade, and then we went for a guided wander round the streets to see for ourselves. Ive seen extreme poverty in India, and thankfully it wasnt quite as bad as that, but it wasnt far off. The difference here seemed to be the attitude of people - to actively strive to make the place better and to improve life. We were taken to meet a family in their home as well, which really was a thought provoking 15 minutes. Well I say a family - it actually was 2 - 8 people living in two rooms. One to sleep in, one for cooking and washing. Its a shock to the system to still see people living like that, and talking to 2 young lads who were there (no more than 15) they were putting themselves through school, proving for the family, whilst trying to save up so the clever brother could go to college and university. A very sobering visit, but no one was bemoaning their lot - they got on with things, and were looking forward to moving to one of the new homes that are appearing in the Township that are being built by the government. Not only do these homes improve life for people, it also brings in employment. It was now approaching lunchtime and we headed off the the V&A waterfront to get the boat over to Robben Island for the final part of the tour. The island is 45mins to an hour away by boat, where we were met by a very knowledgable guide to took us round the surprisingly large island. Dont get me wrong, the place is rammed with tourists, but they run the place very well and it never felt too overrun. I dont need to explain to you the significance of Robben Island, but it has had an interesting past. Initially used as a fuel stop for passing ships, it then became a prison, a leper colony, another prison, a ww2 outpost to protect Cape Town before becoming the ultra high security prison for black convicts and political prisoners. The area is now a UNESCO world heritage site, and is undergoing some serious renovations. The WW2 infrastructure is especially well maintained as is the main prison. We lucked out big time today in 2 ways. The first was the fact that they had one of their most famous inhabitants there in a fascinating bloke called Cristo Brand. This guy was Mandellas prison guard during his final days on the island as well as towards the end of his incarceration on the mainland. They both befriended each other and remained close friends until Mandellas death. He has just written a book about his life, and I was lucky enough to meet him and hear him talk for about 15 mins - a remarkable bloke, and a very nice guy as well. We were then taken round the main prison site by a former inmate who showed us how life was inside, showing the cells, the yards, the football fields and finally Mandellas cell and garden. This was where our luck played out for the second time. We had a blind lady with us from Germany, and our guide went and got the key to Mandellas cell (which is usually locked) so she could go in and feel the bedroll, table and bin that made up the sum total of what was in his cell. He then left the cell open for the rest of us to be able to go in and take a few images. Its a tiny space, as youd expect, but tried to get an image of what it was like. Its not the greatest, but to be honest I was more interested in actually being there and seeing it for real than through a camera lens. Finally headed home before the seas got too choppy, and then spent the rest of the late afternoon wandering about and getting a final dinner in Cape Town. Overall a quite remarkable day. Fly home tomorrow sadly, but probably will put up a final post to this trip from the airport...
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 20:15:01 +0000
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