Langa Township & Happy Feet Youth Project CAP 131-102
Highlights
- Learn about the residential and commercial areas in Langa
- Watch a gumboot performance by participants from the Happy Feet Youth Project
Program Overview
Program Fee
- ECON-370-17865 Comparative Economic Systems
- SPCM-381A1-17854 Interfaith and Inclusive Communication
- POLS-431-17851 International Law
- D-110-17850 Understanding Dance
- PSY-315-14761 Social Psychology
- ANTH-232-17860 Soundscapes-Music as Human Practice
- MU-232-17859 Soundscapes-Music as Human Practice
- E-339-17837 Literature of the Earth
- NR-370-17834 Coastal Environmental Ecology
Denzil Washington has said that Langa is “the warmest and most welcoming place I have ever filmed.” Langa, a suburb of Cape Town, was established in 1927. It is one of the many areas in South Africa that was designated for Black South Africans before the apartheid era. Langa is the oldest of these suburbs in Cape Town and was the location of much resistance to apartheid.
Although Langa literally means ‘sun’ in Xhosa, the name of the township is derived from the name of Langalibalele – a chief and renowned rainmaker who, in 1873, was imprisoned on Robben Island for rebelling against the Natal government. Various prominent people fought for his release and he was subsequently confined to a farm called “Uitvlugt”, which is on the site of present day Pinelands. Langa, which adjoins Pinelands, commemorates this folk hero as it was developed in 1898 on the land known as “Langalibalele’s Location”. Hence Langa is often called “Kwa-Langa” meaning ‘place of Langa’.
Experience a day in the life of a Langa resident by walking through the streets of this suburb. Pass schools and learn about education, employment, and the informal sector. Observe Xhosa women making regional food and drink, and learn how women have used traditional customs to create a living for themselves in the city. Visit township homes and experience the commercial center of Langa. This spot is now a hub of entrepreneurial activity, but it was starkly different when the apartheid system forbade these entrepreneurial endeavors.
The tour of Langa will end with a visit to the Happy Feet Youth Project. This initiative began in 2007 to provide township kids with positive alternatives to gangs and drugs in the community. The program includes approximately 70 children and youth ages 3-20. The group is quite accomplished, having performed at conferences, traditional ceremonies, universities, dance competitions, museums, and in parliament. Here see a gumboot dance before returning to the ship.
“This program gave me an insight to a part of South Africa often pushed to the side and not experienced by SASers. This was the most impactful experience I have had on this voyage and my eyes were so opened to culture in South Africa. An absolutely amazing program I could’ve only done through Semester at Sea.” – Brooke O. Spring 2019 Student Voyager
“This program allowed us to meet with two local guides who grew up in the township and showed us the beauty of the townships and the struggle of coming up in them as well. I really felt like I truly got to see townships for what they really are and not as a tourist. It was also amazing to know that part of the money spent on the field program was going back to the people who live in the township.” – Dara C. Spring 2019 Student Voyager
“The guide was great. It was a very authentic experience, and they kept us engaged the whole time, and I learned so much about the Langa township and felt like I really got to connect with the community.” – Fall 2017 voyager
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