Culture and Braai - June 17th, 2019
Our day began with a walking tour of Bo-Kaap, which is a Cape Malay neighborhood (the Cape Malay are the descendants of Malaysian slaves) famous for its colorful homes. We learned about the community's struggle with gentrification and came across several posters speaking out and raising awareness about this neighborhood's long lasting issues. After Bo-Kaap, we rode to the Waterfront shopping center for lunch and some free time. A few students participated in a live performance of local South African percussion. From there, we made our way to the Museum of Contemporary Art of Africa (MOCAA), the largest museum in all of Africa. Two of the most interesting exhibits displayed fantastical worlds through art depicting dystopias and utopias. All of the exhibits were centered around the phrase "I'll see you tomorrow to high five you yesterday." One of the more jarring exhibits was about the mutilation of young women's genitals in an effort to prevent sex. Our group was taken aback by the statistics - 200 million women around the world are mutilated and 40 million of those young women are under the age of 15. Outside of the museum there was an immersion exhibit where we would walk through a spiraling walkway that projected a film onto the surrounding wall. The piece had twelve one minute long films, each depicting different parts of South Africa. We then headed to dinner which was a traditional South African barbecue (braai) complete with lots of meat and salad. Overall, it was a day filled with cultural immersion and relaxing down time.
-Regan and Ben
-Regan and Ben
Walking around Bo-Kaap
Stopping at a local mini market in Bo-Kaap
Bo-Kaap mosque
Group photo in Bo-Kaap
More smiles
Drumming at the Waterfront
Showing percussion skills
Fun in front of the MOCAA
Smiles
Looking down from the 6th floor of the MOCAA
A sublevel sculpture at the MOCAA
Students laying down on the sky light roof of the MOCAA, 6 floors up!
Traditional South African barbecue dinner
Dinner
