Langa Township - Nathan

The first trip of the day was to Langa Township. This is the oldest black township in South Africa. It has a population of around 80,000 people.
The township has a so-called "high-class, middle-class and lower-class" population. The high class housing is mediocre at best with some privacy and electricity but very close together. The middle class housing is much worse but they are brick with electricity in most. Families live 8-10 per small living space. The lower class are shanties that often blow down in the wind, leak in the rain and burn down due to the use of paraffin to cook and light the single room shacks.
     As was mentioned by our guide Chipa, the township is much better than it used to be. There is education for most, police presence in places and as mentioned electricity is available. There are few jobs available for the unskilled and tribal traditions due continue throughout the township. As we left we saw many other shanty towns some with populations as large as 300,000 people.
   It was disturbing walking through the township and for most it was as though these poor people were on display as we walked through with our cameras clicking, our sunglasses covering our squinting eyes and wearing our designer clothes showcasing our relative wealth and position.  It is understood that awareness by the public especially from such wealthy and powerful countries like the US is important to continue the effort towards equality.  As our guide Chipa told us, "the past is the past, we. [the blacks,whites, and coloreds] are now all working towards our future.....together." Seeing the tragedy of these people is important, and although hard to view it will certainly effect all of us throughout the trip and into our (and their) futures.