Quick Facts: Cape Town

Cape Town is a Cosmopolitan city featuring wi-fi cafes, museums, restaurants, shopping centers and open markets in a multicultural atmosphere. Its beautiful mountains, beaches, and golf courses however, contrast starkly with the poverty stricken townships that are still home to millions of “non-white” South Africans.

The townships remain as remnants of apartheid-era policy, which relocated entire communities based on race. These racial divides still exist today as economic redistribution has not happened overnight. The result is separated communities with a wide gap in access to health care and education.

Our objective during the trip is to introduce students to both of these worlds and to encourage understanding about how they affect one another, to see what steps are being taken to improve the well-being of children and their communities, to interact with these communities, and to reflect on what they have learned about children and families at the University of Illinois and what they have experienced in South Africa.

Jan Brooks, 2009

Course Readings

There are four books we are required to read this semester:

• Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
• Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton
• Mother to Mother by Sindiwe Magona
• The House on Tyne Street, Childhood Memories of District Six by Linda Fortune

Each week we write a response to the assigned readings. Our readings typically consist of an assigned book and a short list of articles we can find online. The following is my response to Magona's novel and I hope it encourages all of our blog readers to learn more about South Africa!

In Sindiwe Magona’s Mother to Mother, Magona details the murder of Amy Biehl and illuminates the all too common effects of the South African Apartheid. Magona’s goal is not to justify the murder of Biehl, but to explain how Biehl was a consequence of the inequalities and prejudices that the South African Apartheid created. Biehl’s murder is another example all of us can use to examine the social and racial relations between whites and blacks in South Africa. Her murder can also be considered a historical legacy of South Africa’s past. This novel definitely influenced the way I understand South Africa’s history and has broadened my views on life in general. I think that most of us are too quick to judge acts of violence because attempting to understand the specific reasons behind each act can be very difficult. I feel that Magona’s novel is very special because I was able to not only see her message in a South African perspective, but I can also place her message in an American perspective and see how murders like Biehl’s are a common part of urban America. Magona’s novel opened my eyes and showed me that there is more to be seen than just violence—there will always be the events, people, and social/racial issues that lead up to such horrible occurrences.

Like Magona, Biehl's parents also believe that their daughter's murder was a consequence of the apartheid. As a result, they started a foundation in Amy's name: http://www.amybiehl.org/

This website is a great place to visit and you can really see the importance of grassroots organizations in South Africa.

New York Times Article

Here's a link to a New York Times article about South African politics. The article is pretty interesting and shows a different perspective on the leaders of the ANC and the South Africa Communist Party. I am curious as to what Mandela's thoughts are on the current leaders of the ANC. But as Jan mentioned yesterday in class, we shouldn't be too quick to make assumptions about South Africa politics and we should really take advantage of the opportunities we will have to interact with South Africans.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/19/world/africa/19selebi.html?_r=1&ref=africa

Week #1

For the first class, we introduced ourselves and discussed brief travel information. Jan lectured about South Africa's history and the many different languages of South Africa. The documentary Amandla! was really great! I thought it was very interesting to see how much music can impact a culture and an entire country. This summer, I worked with 3 young children. One of the little girls (a 5 year old) asked me "What happens when people stop making music?" I told her that that would never happen because everyone expresses themselves in different ways and that music is very important to several people. I wasn't sure if this was the right answer, but after viewing the documentary, I am happy with the answer I gave her and I hope it sticks with her. It is so amazing to see how something as simple as music can unite large groups of people and can serve as an aide in the process of change.


The documentary also made me more excited for our future adventures!! We are really fortunate to be able to experience something like our planned trip and I hope that we all take very valuable life lessons away from it! I can't wait to hear more South African music and to experience the music in Cape Town.

For week #2, we can look forward to a lecture from Ken Salo.

Assignments due on 10/19:

• Abstract #2
  
• Continue/Finish The House on Tyne Street

We will start our course journals this week and we should begin to construct our time line of South African historical and political events.

Jan's Course Description

This course requires 2 components.

• An 8 week course of study in preparation for the trip, and participation in activities presented while in Cape Town.
  

• In the eight week course leading up to the trip to Cape Town, students will learn about the history, economy, and political events leading up to the demise of the apartheid system, including the role of African youth in the struggle.

• Participation in the study abroad experience: Through a week of intensive study, discussion, field trips, and experience with local cultural events, students will learn about the variety of cultures, family issues, and living conditions in the Cape Town area, including life in its overcrowded and poverty-stricken townships.
  

• The final two weeks of the trip will be spent volunteering in Cape Town and surrounding townships, working with community organizations that provide education and support for women and care for children orphaned by the AIDS crisis in South Africa.
  

• Throughout the trip, group discussion will continue, focusing on the dynamics of integration, education, and globalization in the Cape Town area after apartheid, as well as comparison of the implementation of human development and child development theory and practice in place in South Africa and the United States today.

• Assignments for Week #1:
  
  • Long Walk to Freedom Abstract is due 10/13!
  • Begin to read House on Tyne Street for next week's discussion
    

Cape Town

Mandela's Cell

St. Anne's Home