Cape Town Reflection #1

South Africa was the most amazing time. Raja and I started our first day with a service trip with Operation Hunger. We learned about this non-profit that has grown over time to serve thousands in different squatter villages (aka “Townships”) that are still recovering from Apartheid. We weighed children in one village to track cases of malnutrition, and got a chance to enjoy them singing and dancing for us. I was amazed every time a group would perform for us (spontaneously) while in Africa, as they have the most beautiful voices. I think Africa as a country chose songs that best represent their vocal range – every song, even a simple one sung by six year olds, sounded stunning. Very young children would know all of the words and would have the confidence to take turns dancing solo in front of large groups. I appreciated that this was a strong part of their culture, and on both trips I led, I asked if we could respond to them with a song or a dance. The first time we danced the “Macarena” for kindergartners and later when we visited a school, we sang “Itsy Bitsy Spider” to first graders. Simple, but really the only few choices we seem to have when trying to find a song we all remember and share as Americans…

I was very glad to have started my journey in South Africa with an unveiling of the deprived side of Cape Town. There is so much wealth, glitz and natural beauty, that it is terribly easy to forget about the other side of the spectrum – the side that can be ignored when you are wandering by the gleaming white ferris wheel on the waterfront, passing through a gargantuan upscale mall, or jumping into the vibrant city life of Cape Town. There are families who will be in poverty for many more generations before catching a break. Many townships have no running water, sewage systems, or access to clean water. Some have electric wires haphazardly hung shanty to shanty, resulting in many injuries and deaths as people try to rent and borrow lines of electricity. And the country as a whole suffers from high rates of HIV/AIDS. The country seems to be very aware of these stark contrasts, but those who have the upperhand seem comfortable living on the very edge of the other side of this spectrum – beach homes perched in cliffsides along the water; city areas with the likes of Sunset Strip with beautiful views of the ocean with a cocktail; a glitzy waterfront boasting fancy hotels and consumer culture. Of course, one trend seems to stick with us wherever we go: the issues that we notice most are the same ones we face in the United States.

These two pictures represent what I am talking about - your first view of the Cape Town waterfront when you come in by boat, and then a picture from our trip into one of the villages of the singing & dancing children!