some observations...
Yesterday we went out to Obz Cafe to watch football. There were at least 7 Germans at our table. Everyone, except Tobi, spoke German and just ignored me! That wasn't too nice. Actually, it seems that I've met more Germans here than South Africans.
***
Today, Tobi is going to Germany for 4 days, to his sister's wedding. I'm taking him to the airport and then coming back to school, because there are 2 classes I have to give today - teachers training and webpage group. Tobi is coming back on Tuesday.
***
It occurred to me why I feel so cold all the time - it's not all about the cold and rainy weather. We have that in Europe too and it's much colder in the winter. Except for one thing - no matter how cold it is outside you always know that when you go inside, no matter where - it's warm! Knowing that there are plenty of warm places to go keeps you warm! But here, there's no central heating anywhere and so it's almost as cold indoors than it is outdoors, just except that there's no wind and rain inside (actually, in the case of my room it's not true - there is rain inside! when it's raining heavily, water is leaking from the ceiling above my window to the floor and into my bed!)
***
Another thing which I though about concerns people living in shacks in the townships. Actually, I haven't written about that here yet..
The townships are located southeast from the centre of Cape Town. The largest of them is Khayelitsha (where we work), with 1.3 - 3 million people, the exact number is unknown. The other major townships are Nyanga, Guguletu and Mitchells Plain (the latter is a 'coloured' township, the others are black). How the townships were started? When the apartheid began, the whites dislocated all black and coloured people from their homes and placed them outside Cape Town (far enough so that they would be conveniently out of sight, yet near enough to use them as cheap labour force...). In order to enter white areas, the blacks had to have a special permit. The townships were growing (they still are) because unempoyment is a major problem in South Africa and people come to cities in search of work.
One of the major problems in the townships is housing - millions of people live in shacks.. A shack is a hut built of whatever material people can gather (cardboard, wood etc.) and can afford to buy. The shacks are of different sizes, but usually they are very low, small and built close together. There is no water, no toilet, no washing facilities inside - usually there's a toilet and a tap of cold water outside, shared by several families.
As for the vegetation in the townships, there are practically no trees; there are some bushes; the soil seems to be quite sandy. It is said that Khayelitsha is one of the most polluted areas around Cape Town. I don't know the exact reason why, but I can only guess - the cars that the township people own are old and thus use mostly leaded fuel; people don't really think about the environment, because they have more essential concerns - such as surviving, staying healthy and getting enough food. Another thing - people keep animals (cows and goats mainly) in the townships - that is probably making the soil even more poor. The animals are walking freely on the streets. One more thing which might add to the pollution - the airport is close to Khayelitsha. And this is really something which is not fair, because it's mostly the white poeple who fly, the township people just cannot afford it..
Among the shacks there are also better houses and in some areas of the townships the living conditions are not so appalling. The government has built and is continuing to build houses in the townships - the plan is to replace all shacks by 2010. This is rather unrealistic, I think. Those brick houses built by the government are way too small for the whole family to live in. So, people often extend the house - in many cases, the extension is a shack.
When entering Khayelitsha, there's a sign 'You are entering an Urban Renewal Area. ' And below it, 'Together, building a stronger nation'. It is interesting to observe how people are addressed in different cultures- in Europe, we are much more individualistic, while here, it's more about collectivism and about belonging to a group, especially among black people to whom the community is a very strong social structure. Another example - on buses going between Cape Town and the townships it's written - 'Golden Arrow (the name of the bus company) - The bus for us'. In Europe it would definitely be - 'The bus for YOU' ('you' as an individual).
Seeing and experiencing life here has made me view certain things from a different perspective, made me more open and willing to share things (including space around me.)
When driving to and from Khayelitsha, we are passing shacks every day. It's such a contrast between the townships and Cape Town, especially the rich areas there. When seeing the shacks, a strange (and sad) thought occurred to me. The shacks are really small and built of whatever material people can find. Most shacks are tilted and look like they are going to fall apart soon..When you go inside, the ceiling is low and it's quite dark inside, usually a single light bulb being the only source of light. There's no heating of course. So, in a way, a shack reminds me of a play house built by (white) children at the back yard or in the forest. They would be really excited about it and play 'home' there for a while. But as soon as they get bored, cold and hungry or it gets dark outside, they go to their 'real' home which is big, warm and there's always food there. Only when they feel good again, they would go back to the play house and the game will go on...Except for the people in the townships, this is no game, it IS THE REALITY! And there's nowhere to escape from it! And this is what makes me very sad.
Yet, I am amazed how the people have managed to retain their sense of humour and their ability to still enjoy life..
There is a part of Khayelitsha where the living conditions are extremely bad - we've been driving through it several times, because we are usually giving a lift to some of the students (apparently, some of them are living there). In that area, people are protesting against the government - they have been promised brick houses, but obviously there has been a delay in building the houses. So, people refuse to keep the area clean - they litter the streets and throw stuff out of their windows. A while ago, they even burned a bus there (an empty one fortunately). The streets in that area are sometimes so littered that it's difficult to drive there..
***
Today, Tobi is going to Germany for 4 days, to his sister's wedding. I'm taking him to the airport and then coming back to school, because there are 2 classes I have to give today - teachers training and webpage group. Tobi is coming back on Tuesday.
***
It occurred to me why I feel so cold all the time - it's not all about the cold and rainy weather. We have that in Europe too and it's much colder in the winter. Except for one thing - no matter how cold it is outside you always know that when you go inside, no matter where - it's warm! Knowing that there are plenty of warm places to go keeps you warm! But here, there's no central heating anywhere and so it's almost as cold indoors than it is outdoors, just except that there's no wind and rain inside (actually, in the case of my room it's not true - there is rain inside! when it's raining heavily, water is leaking from the ceiling above my window to the floor and into my bed!)
***
Another thing which I though about concerns people living in shacks in the townships. Actually, I haven't written about that here yet..
The townships are located southeast from the centre of Cape Town. The largest of them is Khayelitsha (where we work), with 1.3 - 3 million people, the exact number is unknown. The other major townships are Nyanga, Guguletu and Mitchells Plain (the latter is a 'coloured' township, the others are black). How the townships were started? When the apartheid began, the whites dislocated all black and coloured people from their homes and placed them outside Cape Town (far enough so that they would be conveniently out of sight, yet near enough to use them as cheap labour force...). In order to enter white areas, the blacks had to have a special permit. The townships were growing (they still are) because unempoyment is a major problem in South Africa and people come to cities in search of work.
One of the major problems in the townships is housing - millions of people live in shacks.. A shack is a hut built of whatever material people can gather (cardboard, wood etc.) and can afford to buy. The shacks are of different sizes, but usually they are very low, small and built close together. There is no water, no toilet, no washing facilities inside - usually there's a toilet and a tap of cold water outside, shared by several families.
As for the vegetation in the townships, there are practically no trees; there are some bushes; the soil seems to be quite sandy. It is said that Khayelitsha is one of the most polluted areas around Cape Town. I don't know the exact reason why, but I can only guess - the cars that the township people own are old and thus use mostly leaded fuel; people don't really think about the environment, because they have more essential concerns - such as surviving, staying healthy and getting enough food. Another thing - people keep animals (cows and goats mainly) in the townships - that is probably making the soil even more poor. The animals are walking freely on the streets. One more thing which might add to the pollution - the airport is close to Khayelitsha. And this is really something which is not fair, because it's mostly the white poeple who fly, the township people just cannot afford it..Among the shacks there are also better houses and in some areas of the townships the living conditions are not so appalling. The government has built and is continuing to build houses in the townships - the plan is to replace all shacks by 2010. This is rather unrealistic, I think. Those brick houses built by the government are way too small for the whole family to live in. So, people often extend the house - in many cases, the extension is a shack.
When entering Khayelitsha, there's a sign 'You are entering an Urban Renewal Area. ' And below it, 'Together, building a stronger nation'. It is interesting to observe how people are addressed in different cultures- in Europe, we are much more individualistic, while here, it's more about collectivism and about belonging to a group, especially among black people to whom the community is a very strong social structure. Another example - on buses going between Cape Town and the townships it's written - 'Golden Arrow (the name of the bus company) - The bus for us'. In Europe it would definitely be - 'The bus for YOU' ('you' as an individual).
Seeing and experiencing life here has made me view certain things from a different perspective, made me more open and willing to share things (including space around me.)
When driving to and from Khayelitsha, we are passing shacks every day. It's such a contrast between the townships and Cape Town, especially the rich areas there. When seeing the shacks, a strange (and sad) thought occurred to me. The shacks are really small and built of whatever material people can find. Most shacks are tilted and look like they are going to fall apart soon..When you go inside, the ceiling is low and it's quite dark inside, usually a single light bulb being the only source of light. There's no heating of course. So, in a way, a shack reminds me of a play house built by (white) children at the back yard or in the forest. They would be really excited about it and play 'home' there for a while. But as soon as they get bored, cold and hungry or it gets dark outside, they go to their 'real' home which is big, warm and there's always food there. Only when they feel good again, they would go back to the play house and the game will go on...Except for the people in the townships, this is no game, it IS THE REALITY! And there's nowhere to escape from it! And this is what makes me very sad.
Yet, I am amazed how the people have managed to retain their sense of humour and their ability to still enjoy life..
There is a part of Khayelitsha where the living conditions are extremely bad - we've been driving through it several times, because we are usually giving a lift to some of the students (apparently, some of them are living there). In that area, people are protesting against the government - they have been promised brick houses, but obviously there has been a delay in building the houses. So, people refuse to keep the area clean - they litter the streets and throw stuff out of their windows. A while ago, they even burned a bus there (an empty one fortunately). The streets in that area are sometimes so littered that it's difficult to drive there..
posted by Kadri Aavik at 12:11 AM
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