This course examines contemporary South Africa and diverse South African communities in historical and cultural context. Nestled between mountain and sea, Cape Town is a beautiful and vibrant city known for both for its natural landscapes and rich mix of cultures. In our immersive travel experience, students will have the opportunity to learn about and experience South Africa 30 years after the fall of apartheid, visiting historical sites, museums, and meeting the activists, artists, and entrepreneurs transforming urban Africa today. We will also swim with penguins, ride the cable car up Table Mountain, and visit indigenous land.
Trip ParticularsPrice includes airfare, transportation, lodging, tickets and other activities,
and many meals.
Enrollment: $500
Nov 1: $500
Dec 1: $500
Dec 15: $500
Jan 1: $800
Apartheid used geographic boundaries and radical displacements (as well as violence, neglect, and economic and educational disenfranchisement) to shore up perceived racial boundaries between groups in an effort to privilege the white minority and foster divisions within potential alliances. To understand this history and the large scale social movements that challenged it, we will take a ferry across to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela and other anti-apartheid activists were imprisoned. On Robben Island, we will receive a tour from a former inmate and visit Madiba’s cell. We will also visit the Langa Pass Museum, a former “dompas” office, where black South Africans got the passes that enabled them to move outside of their “home areas.” The District Six Museum documents the displacement of thousands of people from their homes in the center of the city when District Six was redesignated as a “white area.” This inspiring museum was community-built and former residents of District Six work and guide there. We will also have an opportunity to meet participants from the struggle against apartheid.
Understand Current Inequalities in South AfricaThe legacies of the apartheid state continue to shape urban development, educational access and achievement, and economic opportunities in South Africa. We will learn more about these impacts through the organizations that work on remedying them. This might include health organizations/clinics, children’s programs, food access initiatives, programs for the elderly, and more.
In addition to history, resilience, and creativity, Cape Town is striking for its natural landscape and coastal fauna. We will take the cableway up to the top of Table Mountain where we can view the city and region from above, examine the unique flora, and say hello to the dassies (small rodent-like mammals most closely related to elephants) that inhabit it. We will drive down the coast to meet the penguins who live on Boulders Beach in Simon’s Town and walk out to the tip of the Cape of Good Hope (keeping an eye out for baboons!).
Cape Town is now an arts hub in South Africa and across the continent. To learn more about this, we will visit local art projects connecting artists with the community in Khayelitsha and experience African jazz music in musicians' homes. We will also check out the creative neighborhood of Woodstock, tour the numerous examples of street art, and check out the Saturday Neighbourgoods Market. But we will also think about the impact of gentrification on this neighborhood and its inhabitants. In the Bo-Kaap neighborhood, we will learn more about Cape Malay culture and cuisine through a tour, cooking class, and visiting a famous local spice shop. This neighborhood experience will also offer us an opportunity to think about the history of slavery in Cape Town.
