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| Our wonderful guide, Agnes (far right), of Felleng Tours, gave us an impactful tour of Kliptown Township. |
One
of my most memorable and impactful experiences from my recent visit to South
Africa was my hour-plus long visit to Kliptown township in Soweto. Townships,
commonly referred to by many as “shantytowns,” house tens of thousands of
people in impoverished conditions across South Africa. They often
developed as a consequence of actions taken by South Africa’s former Apartheid
government to forcefully remove non-whites from cities and other areas.
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| Inside Kliptown Township, Soweto, South Africa. |
Forty-five thousand (45,000)
inhabitant Kliptown. Residents live in small, 1-room homes made
predominately of corrugated metal. There’s no running water here, and the
only electricity is that illegally obtained by running makeshift wires from
electrical power lines to individual homes. Most foreign visitors get no
closer to a township than gazing down on one from a roadside or overpass.
To really get a sense of these places, though, one really needs to walk their
dirt roads and interact with their residents. That’s just what we did.
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| Inside a one-room home in Kliptown Township, Soweto, South Africa |
Accompanied by our top-notch guide,
Agnes, from Felleng Tours, we visited Kliptown on our full-day tour of
Johannesburg and Soweto. We were invited into one of the homes — perhaps
no bigger than an 8’ x 10’ single room. Five people live in this one-room
home, consisting of a sofa and table, and surprisingly, a television, stove,
and refrigerator. From here, we spent time on the grounds of the Kliptown
Youth Program. This after-school program located right in the middle of
Kliptown is an extraordinary example of how the efforts of a few can make a
huge difference on individual lives. The program is dedicated to teaching
Kliptown’s youth skills and knowledge they need to obtain good-paying jobs and
rise above their impoverished upbringing. It's noble efforts earned its
founder, Thulani Madando, recognition as a “Top 10 CNN Hero” in 2012, and a
$50,000 award which Kliptown promptly used to build a computer lab available
for use by the community free of charge. While at Kliptown we were
treated to a spectacular Gumboot Dance performance.
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| Gumboot Dance Performance at the Kliptown Youth Program, Soweto, South Africa |
Experiences like this, that get
beyond the typical tourist areas, provide a truly impactful experience that
enhances one’s understanding and connection to South Africa. Alongside
the game drives and sunsets, it remains a highlight of my travels through South
Africa.
You can read more about Kliptown,
and the Kliptown Youth Program, by visiting the program’s website.
We can help you craft your own
customized unique South Africa experience. Visit my website, and then
email me or give me or one of my colleagues a call. We’ll get to work for
you to realize your own dream experiences in South Africa.
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