A big success!

A week ago the 2nd event of Cape Town, Culture & Club took place. This time it was something totally different. It wasn’t only about meeting the locals in the township, but also actually about copying the habits and behavior. The students ate like they did, played like they did, tried to talk like they did and especially slept like they did! There was namely arranged an overnight at different families at home, which gives a whole other perspective about the life of all those people.

#CCC2

Saturday the 27th of October we went with a group of 29 students and 2 guides per train to Gugulethu. After arriving we were received with open arms by the sweet Mama Noks and her family. Also all of the children of the neighborhood were curious about all those new strange people. After a lot of cuddles and chatting we entered a shebeen. For a foreigner this is an amazing experience. There was a lot of socialising, contact, music, playing pool and a lot of drinking. Everybody was very excited about it and blended in very well with the people of “Gugs”.

Meanwhile the campfire and the braai were lit at the house of Mama Noks. There was a really cozy atmosphere whereby everybody got to know each other. While enjoying the food on our plates, there was a lot of dancing, playing and chatting. There always comes an end on those beautiful nights. Everybody went with their Mama to the home-stays and was in for the experience of an overnight in the township Gugulethu.

Very exciting of course!! The families took care of you, made sure you felt at home, and made you feel like part of their family. This is something totally different than we are used to, that’s why it was such a fantastic experience.

The next morning everybody enjoyed a real African breakfast at his/her homestay. There was a lot of difference between the food – from pudding to fried eggs with toast. Not totally new, but different though.

Next up was the beading workshop. Everybody could bead in the sun at Mama Noks’s table outside. After this creative morning we all walked to the Khanyisa Church. This is the church where Mama Noks and many other Mamas always worship. This was also a whole new experience. Full of happiness, clapping and singing it was a really nice church service. You could see on the faces of the people that they were really wrapped up. That was a beautiful thing. Probably more than half of the students were singing in full voice together with the locals. There isn’t a better way to bond.

After everybody had sung their song we left a little earlier to start with the walking tour. Our guides Mvuyisi, Thulani and Shai were ready to show us the beautiful spots of Gugulethu. We saw Amy Biehl Memorial, Gugulethu Seven Memorial, hostels, shacks, etc. During the tour we made contact with several locals who told us their stories. What we noticed is that the people are incredibly happy and wanted to tell about their lives with a lot of pride. Also many children were curious about the big group of students and wanted to play really badly. At the tourist office the guides showed us some history about Gugulethu. This was a very interesting twist in the tour.

At the end of the informative walking tour we arrived at Mzoli’s. After the partying, drinking and eating of the delicious meat, we drove to Cape Town again at the end of the afternoon.

During this trip we learned a lot about the life and the culture in the township, saw poverty and living on the breadline, but at the same time there is a lust of life, warm-hearted people and solidarity which we had never seen before.

After this weekend everybody could say; “I was a local for one day and one night.”

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