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Wednesday night I attended a local musical, District Six: Kanala. I’ve come to appreciate that the English accent that native Afrikaans speakers have is at my limits of comprehension. It made understanding portions of the show a challenge, not to mention the local references, but the music and dancing was great.

I got more insight into District Six today, Thursday, June 9. After sleeping in, I headed out to the District Six museum. District Six was a kind of New Orleans of Cape Town, a giant melting pot of cultures living together. There was wonderful art and culture, music…especially jazz. During Apartheid, it was declared a white only area. Tens of thousands of people were forcibly relocated into the townships. Buildings were razed. Now, the once bustling neighborhood still stands empty as any plans for development touch deep wounds for so many people.

After visiting the museum, I walked through city to the Slavery  Museum. There was a lovely exhibit honoring many of the journalists, of all races, who worked against apartheid. They also had an installation by an artist honoring South African musicians. Curved walls covered with LP covers defined the space with a piano in the center of it all. I’ve noticed that this place is rich with remembering. In some ways, I think the ways in which they honor their past is amazing. In other ways, I think some people are so locked into the past that it becomes difficult to envision a different future. I wonder if this isn’t true for me in my own life. Have I become so locked into my past, so tied down to the things I’ve done and the things I’ve been through that I can’t envision anything different? It’s a big question, and I make a note to sit with it more when I’m back home.

I continued walking on to the art museum. I wish there had been better labeling and information about the work and the artists. They had some wonderful photography, and I made notes since they didn’t allow photos. My list of notes on this trip is starting to get long. I’m going to have months of research to do after this trip. I always felt like half the joy of vacation is in the anticipation, and the other half is in the trip. This trip is turning out more in thirds: a third of the joy before, a third of the joy during, and another third that awaits me when I get home.

It didn’t take long to go through the gallery, so I headed out into the Company Gardens again. I found the guys with the Mbira (thumb harps), bought a thumb harp from them, and had them teach me a basic song. They were kind enough to let me video them playing it so I can remember and practice. I’m glad I waited until today to do this because I probably would have spent every morning just sitting with them learning, and every evening at home practicing. Maybe I will do that on another trip. Then again, maybe I can find some videos on Youtube.

After a nap, I decided I needed to get out for dinner. I’d heard good things about a jazz restaurant called The Crypt, and looked it up online. I lucked into some fantastic live music, a great vocalist with piano and bass backing her. I ordered a bottle of champagne and dinner. Even with the cover, main course, app, cheese tray, dessert, and the bottle of champagne…the bill was still less than $50. I could get so fat here, and so happy.

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Wednesday, June 7th. It’s hard to believe I’ve been here a week. Time is flying by here, and I’ve already packed so much in. I set out this morning in an Uber to see Hillary again. This time, she’s taking me into the Manenberg township where friends of hers have been working in the community to address drug addiction. They’ve also started a small cafe to provide job training and income for the guys they are helping. It sounded like a great program, and I was eager to check it out.

We arrived for a prayer service. After some quick introductions, there was scripture reading, singing, and praying. The service ended with an annointing in preparation for a prayer walk through the township.

Manenberg is fairly different than the other township I’ve been to. Langa is primarily a Xhosa township, where as Manenberg was a colored township. Noticeably, most residents speak Afrikaans here. It’s also noticeable that there aren’t the same kind of shacks built from pallets or tin here. Housing isn’t as much of an issue. Here, the struggle is with drugs and gangs. I heard it mentioned that the government actually introduced drugs into the community as a way to undermine and control it before the the end of apartheid. I’ve made a mental note to research that more when I get home.

Our walk is lovely, and it’s rather a quiet day. Three months ago, a young man named Jaryd tells me, the violence was so bad he couldn’t even go outside his house. That’s when he picked up a guitar and started writing. Now, the violence had calmed down, but it’s still problematic.

I feel for the residents caught in the middle of the gang violence, especially the kids. These townships were built to be dependent on the city. There’s no business or opportunity. Kids have nothing to do so they end up on drugs or in gangs or both. Jaryd confirms this. For him, this group of people has given him an outlet for his music. The cafe is hosting open mic nights now where Jaryd plays. I tracked down the video, and the kid is good…untrained, needing some polish and education, but the passion is there.

When we get back to the cafe, I get the chance to talk with Patrick. He’s one of the organizers behind this group, and in charge of the open mics. I ask him what he needs, and he mentions it would be great to have a simple sound system so they don’t have to borrow it. Right now, whoever provides the gear is able to say who gets to use it which creates some issues of access. A basic PA, a guitar amp, some microphones. I’m making notes in my head, and adding up the cost.

I told Patrick to send me a wish list, that I couldn’t make promises, but I’d see what I could do to get them set up. But I see a greater opportunity as well. A few months ago, the South African Broadcast Corporation, South Africa’s version of NPR, began mandating that it’s stations play 90% South African generated content. There’s a demand for more good music by local artists. For those in the townships, the issue is education and access. Recording studios are expensive and all located in the main city, there’s nothing in the townships.

I’m interested in talking with them more, trying to get some of them training as studio engineers (on a basic level) enough to record and master their own songs. I’ve met some other contacts with recording studios that might make that possible. Once the education is there, I’m thinking of putting together backing for a recording studio in the township to enable young artists to build careers. It’s the kind of thing that has the potential to be life-changing, for those in Manenberg and for myself. I know that I have a lot of research to do, and a lot more work building partnerships here.

Go check out the Fusion organization for yourself.