Red Location Museum

The Red Location Museum is a museum set up within New Brighton, One of South Africa's oldest townships. It tells the storey of the area and apartheid. I found it really interesting and particularly liked the layout of it. The museum uses the original rusted red shack panels to create memory boxes.

Karma Primary School

Last week Thursday I went to visit Karma Primary School in New Brighton, one of South Africa's oldest townships. In comparison to rural schools it is doing very well. It survives on donations so they have varied facilities. I went in particular to look at the set up of the class rooms, which have roughly 40+ kids per class. They also have a small library and a IT room, though they cant get access to the internet because of theft in South Africa(people often steal the copper out of telephone wires). One of the other things I notice was that they had a shed to house cookers and food for the government's feeding program. This is a program that ensures that each student in rural and township schools have at least one good meal a day. After chatting to my uncle and seeing the set up up the classrooms, I think that looking into group learning and the design of desks to facilitate it is an area I might look into.

How (not) to bake a potato...

I heard that you can bake a potato in a compost heap, so I thought I'd give it a go just to explore another way of cooking. After doing a little reseach, I learnt that it needed to be a 'hot copost', this means that it's one that is maintained weekly. Unfortunately I didn't have acess to a hot one, so here's what happened when I tried it with a normal, no-fuss heap which was still quite warm in the centre.

Vee Plaas

Today I went to Vee Plaas, a township I never actually knew about before. Its smaller than the ones I have been to beofr, but still quite large in size. There are mainly shacks there, with very few government houses. I had the opportunity to meet Elvis and his partner, he works for a family friend of mine. I also had the opportunity to meet and speak to some of their nieghbours, and to see their homes. They all collected water from a tap in the centre of the settlement, and used parrafin stoves. There was not much else in the their home- like the George family, in fact even less really. One thing I did notice about the George family was that they kids did not even have pencil crayons to draw with. Once again food and education came up as things I had noted here. I really would like to create somthing that help people beyond it just being a simple object- perhaps something that involves skill learining.

Resourcefulness

I love going to my uncle Brian's house, there's always something new to look at- I particularily like the pillar drill in his workshop- Its connected to another machine, then to a motor to run.. it reminds me a bit of India. Which got me thinking, is resourcefulness a generational or cultural thing- or maybe a mixture of both... I know that its foreign to most people my age, which make me think that its generational. Though Stefano suggested once that maybe the western way of being resourceful is by getting something for a bargain price. I still think there are more practical ways of being resourceful though.

South End

One Sunday my dad took me and my sister around the area formally known as South End. We went to where my dad and my grandfather grew up, before they were removed from their homes and put into specific racially segregated areas. It's so strange to think this happened to my parents an their friends, but the more I return home, the more I realize how scared this country and its people still are from apartheid. Julian's advice on 'meeting people where they're at and working with them to move forward together' has never made more sense.

The George family and friends

Last week Thursday I went to Motherwell with some volenteer workers into Motherwell, to meet two families. The first was three kids whos parents had died, their ages were between 13 and 2 years old. They are currently living in a social workers office which has been coneverted into a bedroom, untill they are finished building a forth orpganage. They are lovely kids and I spent the morning with them - its crazy to think of how many kids are now orphaed by aids, or are having to look after a sick parent and teir pamily members.

We then went to meet the George family, they are alos three kids who's parents have passed away and are now living with their granddad. Unfortunatley he hsa become ill, and now cannot walk, so they will be living with their aunt who has moved down from Durban to look after the family. We spent sometime with the family and went shopping for groceries fro them(this gave me a chance to see more of motherwell, which is not as dangerous as it seems- though you do have to be careful wherever you go). While spending time in their home I had a chance to observe their surroundings, they had electricity so were using two hot plates to cook. They did not have anywhere to store their food though and no running water, but had a large cabnet and a tv deviding the room. This was a gevrnment house, which was not to small but had nothing and does not change if the family were bigger. It was areally great to meet the family, who are lovely and very friendly and a good opportunity to observe how people live. One thing I did realize was that it is so silly that kids still have to buy school uniforms when they can hardly afford food to eat.