
Today our group took a tour of the Cape Malay area. South Africa had slaves at nearly the same time as the U.S., but their slaves were all Malaysian, Indonesian, and Indian. There is still a large population in Cape Town, and we are lucky enough that our assistant director, Tahira, is Cape Malay, so she guided our to
ur today and shared great information about her
culture. The above photo shows some of the traditional houses in the area - Rainbow Row, Charleston, anyone?? The next photo shows traditional wear for weddings. Our wise (or wise-ass) driver Wonga suggested that I take note for my upcoming wedding. The highlight of the Cape Malay tour was visiting the Slave Lodge, which is now a museum. In addition to information regarding South Africa's slave history, there was also a large exhibit on Steve Biko, on loan from the Apartheid Museum. Steve Biko was a revolutionary leader in the late 1970s and advocated for blacks to see themselves as whole and beautiful and not subscribe to the white man's standards. He was killed in police custody in 1977 at the age of 30.





Blossom Street Primary is going splendidly. I'm working as a school social worker for the Grade Ones and we began this week doing art therapy for feelings group. What makes you happy, how do you feel when you're happy, etc. I brought in play-doh so they could form the things or ideas that make them happy. Each week will be a new feeling and a new medium, which gets the kids really jazzed b/c they mostly only have nubby crayons. They surprised me a bit with their answers - normal answers came up such as butterflies and cake, but also, many children made houses. Considering the living conditions they are currently in, this was pretty significant. My favorite boy Nino (I shouldn't have a favorite, should I!) made a microphone and did a stunning rendition of "I'm a Barbie Girl, In a Barbie World". Fantastic!
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