Love,
Ryan
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
Happy Birthday Nelson Mandela!
Today, citizens across South Africa are celebrating the 90th birthday of the man they so affectionately call "Madiba," Nelson Mandela. Mandela himself will be in his hometown of Qunu with thousands of people and what I've heard to be a humongous cake. In the same spirit, I would like to celebrate Mandela's life with all of you back in the States by sharing a quote:
"But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom comes responsibilities."
- Nelson Mandela
Mandela's tireless efforts continue to this day with his work on "46664," a project dedicated to fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa. You can read more here: 46664 Website
much love,
Ryan
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
The Most Beautiful Blues & Oranges You Will Ever See...
Being here in Cape Town will turn you into connoisseur of sunrises and sunsets... maybe just sky in general. Almost daily (besides the dark & grey period we've been experiencing lately) as the sun is either peaking out or winding down, they atmosphere morphs between awesome shades of blue and orange, with hints of pink and yellow thrown in randomly. Although I never really have my camera with me, I am usually stopped in my tracks on each occasion of seeing the sight. It has become a welcomed 1-2 minute break in my day where I can halt everything I am doing and gaze up at the colors. I can now say I truly know the meaning of "the African sky."
Here are some times when a camera was around (not all in the same day, although they very well could have been!):
Enjoy!
much love,
Ryan
Sunday, July 6, 2008
District 6
I've been waiting on this post to try and acquire some photos from random cameras, but no luck so far. So you'll just have to use your imagination (and whatever pictures I can find on the internet!) A few weeks ago I had the opportunity of joining in on a SAEP field trip for our gap year students (recent high school grads) to the District 6 Museum in downtown Cape Town. The museum commemorates a part of Cape Town known as District 6 that was dismantled during the apartheid era by the government. The museum:
Many similarly unfair actions took place during the apartheid era, but District 6 stands out as an intriguing story because it was a thriving, fully-integrated community before its destruction. And not even solely on racial lines. District 6 was a happy home to multiple races, religions and cultures, all living together in harmony. This uncommon solidarity was the reason the community was targeted by the apartheid governments, as it was a direct slap in the face to those pushing that races must be divided and that certain races were inferior human beings.
District 6 was ordered to become a "whites only" community in the 1960's, and all other races were forced to leave their homes. Most were relocated into Cape Town's townships on the outskirts of the city. After much of District 6 remained vacant for many years, most of the homes and buildings were eventually bulldozed to leave a giant flat patch of dirt where so much joy once lived.
Above: Original District 6 Sign
Below: District 6 today
Since the fall of apartheid, a pledge to bring District 6 back has been made and has (very slowly) begun to be carried out. Houses are being rebuilt, and original residents are being given priority on returning. However, as you can tell from the photo above, much of District 6 is still flat.
An interesting story on its own, but I especially enjoyed taking all of this in with our students. All of them live in the townships where District 6 residents were relocated, and some had stories of people they know that were original District 6 residents. You could tell though, that the powerful meanings of these stories and the implication of what these people had gone through had not really set in for the students until coming to this museum.
For a much more detailed description of District 6, check this out: Wikipedia: District 6
Many similarly unfair actions took place during the apartheid era, but District 6 stands out as an intriguing story because it was a thriving, fully-integrated community before its destruction. And not even solely on racial lines. District 6 was a happy home to multiple races, religions and cultures, all living together in harmony. This uncommon solidarity was the reason the community was targeted by the apartheid governments, as it was a direct slap in the face to those pushing that races must be divided and that certain races were inferior human beings.District 6 was ordered to become a "whites only" community in the 1960's, and all other races were forced to leave their homes. Most were relocated into Cape Town's townships on the outskirts of the city. After much of District 6 remained vacant for many years, most of the homes and buildings were eventually bulldozed to leave a giant flat patch of dirt where so much joy once lived.
Above: Original District 6 SignBelow: District 6 today
Since the fall of apartheid, a pledge to bring District 6 back has been made and has (very slowly) begun to be carried out. Houses are being rebuilt, and original residents are being given priority on returning. However, as you can tell from the photo above, much of District 6 is still flat.
An interesting story on its own, but I especially enjoyed taking all of this in with our students. All of them live in the townships where District 6 residents were relocated, and some had stories of people they know that were original District 6 residents. You could tell though, that the powerful meanings of these stories and the implication of what these people had gone through had not really set in for the students until coming to this museum.
For a much more detailed description of District 6, check this out: Wikipedia: District 6
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