Final Field Program - University of Virginia

CAP15 FULL-DAY TOWNSHIP BY BIKE AND INTERACTIVE SOCCER (0900-1630 Monday, 04
October) Minimum 20/Maximum 40 (PRICE: $95)
Travel to the traditional Xhosa township of Masiphumelele in Noordhoek, which is situated on the west coast of
the Cape Peninsula. (The name Masiphumelelele means ―we will succeed‖ in the Xhosa language.) Upon arrival,
meet your local guide at the BEN Workshop. BEN (Bicycling Empowerment Network) is a non-profit
organization, which promotes the use of the bicycle in all of its forms to enhance low-cost, non-motorized,
transport, health and access to opportunity, employment, skills and education. The shopkeeper Phumlani has a
vested interest in the BEN shop he runs, as he is the owner of the bicycle shop and thus has a future running his
own business. Depart on your bicycle and enjoy learning some of the local Xhosa customs and visit interesting
places. A stop will be made at the Masiphumelele Library that was built from funding from the Masiphumelele
Corporation, which is a U.S. based tax-exempt organization. From there, cycle to a local crèche to interact with
the children. Next, visit a Sangoma (traditional healer). Enjoy learning about this traditional practitioner‘s
methods. After cycling it is time for an African tea break. You will be invited into the home of a local where you
will be served tea and a local snack. After a short lunch break (box lunches from the ship), let the games begin.
You will have an opportunity to put your soccer skills to the test. Enjoy playing a game of soccer with the local
school children. As part of the experience, the soccer balls and equipment will be donated at the end of the visit.
After your game enjoy a quick refreshment break and depart back to the ship. (Please note: A portion of the
proceeds from the sales of this trip will be donated directly to the crèche facilities.}
CAP16 CAPE TOWN, APARTHEID & ROBBEN ISLAND (0900-1845 Monday, 04 October) Minimum 20/
Maximum 80 (PRICE: $136)
[FDP: McLEMORE & SAVISHINSKY]
This trip provides historical insight into the social injustices of Cape Town‘s past. Begin the day‘s journey with a
short orientation drive en route to the District Six Museum. Here, learn how 60,000 families were forcibly
removed from that once vibrant suburb. Next, a visit to the townships and Cape Flats shows how sprawling
satellite camps of seemingly endless shanties provide little more than a roof and some shelter. This journey
through history continues with a visit to Langa, the oldest existing township on the Western Cape. Local
community workers host you in this vibrant community as numerous squatters set about building their own brick
homes, with the help of state grants. Then sample traditional African sorghum beer at a local tavern, or shebeen,
before enjoying a lunch of traditional South African dishes. Afterward, continue to Robben Island by ferry. The
former leper colony was a political prison during apartheid. View Nelson Mandela‘s prison cell while ex-political
prisoners give a detailed commentary. Also visit the quarry, where the former president‘s eyes were damaged
permanently, and where prisoners in the struggle were put to backbreaking labor. Now operating as a living
museum, Robben Island also hosts about 23 mammals and 132 bird species including the African penguin. Return
to the ship after this fulfilling, thought-provoking day.
For students in Professor Savishinsky‘s classes, this day-long experience will provide an opportunity to see how
different generations of South Africans have constructed and come to terms with the legacy of apartheid, race and
social inequality in their own lives. The township and museum visits will also enable all participants to assess just
how far South Africa has come in re-inventing both historical memory and social reality in the 16 years since
apartheid‘s end and the rise to power of the African National Congress in 1994.
Professor McLemore‘s Intercultural Communication students should find this program valuable because they will
be able to confront the physical dynamics of cultural and racial oppression that is closely examined in the course.
McLemore‘s Film Studies students will see and explore some of the structural dimensions of apartheid as
portrayed in films examined in class as well as mise-en-scene photography field project opportunities. Please note:
Wear lightweight clothing and comfortable walking shoes. Bring sun block, sun hat, sunglasses and windbreaker.
South Africa Field Program – page 11