Walking through Soweto, the legacy of space and informality was inspiring to me. Going into Soweto, we had been warned several times to be mentally prepared for what was to come. As someone who has been to several slums in Colombia, I felt that I was already mentally prepared for what was coming but seeing Kliptown first hand and up close was eye-opening to me. It was a humbling experience, it made me instantly realize how blessed I truly am. I have everything I need and yet I sit back and complain about how unfair life can be, oblivious to the injustices that others live through. What was inspiring to me were our tour guides. During the tour, I asked one of our tour guides whether it was uncomfortable for us to be just walking through their township because it was just some white people coming to observe a poor town like it was some sort of zoo. To my surprise, he mentioned that from his perspective he enjoyed people coming to see how they lived. He found it as an economic opportunity and so did many others of the township. They found it a moment to display their art and their culture and make money off these tourists. He said “When you can’t see the world, the world comes to see you”, and that quote struck me, it made me realize how humble these people genuinely are, and how proud they are of where they live. People from all over the world have come to see these “slums” and have this negative perception of what they are. It was genuinely a humbling experience for me. The tour guides mentioned hope and faith several times throughout the tour, that you genuinely must believe in whatever it is that you believe in, and if you believe in it, it will come true. These people are so determined to get ahead and not let the hardships in their lives stop them from achieving whatever it is they want to achieve which was admirable.
Although walking through Kliptown I did get a sense that several people did not enjoy our presence. I felt that as a large group we got many stares from different people who may have felt uncomfortable with us being there.
I personally enjoyed Bobby’s speech very much, although he considers himself a prophet and I don’t think he is one, I do believe that he is an inspiration within his community. He gives back to the youth of his community and genuinely just wants to help the kids. He spoke a lot of truth in his short speech to us, he gave us inspiring advice, and I am truly grateful for it. The kids were just about my favorite part of the trip, they were all so kind, and so happy to see us. The people of Johannesburg have been my favorite part of the trip thus far. The people are so friendly and genuinely welcome you to their city, it’s so refreshing to see kind people, coming from New England where people can be so cold. Bobby takes a space/township filled with poverty and injustices and turn it into a place where kids can stay off the streets. He focuses on the youth of the town, because they are the future of the township.
Kliptown, one of the oldest townships in Soweto has a lot of history of violence, racism, hardship, yet its people are filled with pride and humility. During our tour of Regina Mundi, I realized how hard the people of Soweto fought for equality. During the student uprisings, the police followed the students into the church, where we saw the bullet holes in the church ceilings and through the walls. The police damaged the marble altar and religious centers of the people of Soweto. The church was an important space during the apartheid regime. Not only was it a safe space for religious practices, but also a meeting place for people who were anti-apartheid, along with serving as a shelter.
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