Townships and fair trade
Township tours and stays, fair trade tourism and volunteering.
Volunteer Africa – Explore New Worlds as You Teach Children
High education standards are often taken for granted in the west, but these are by no means universal, and certainly throughout sub-Saharan Africa a majority of children are denied either a basic or…
Lilliesleaf Farm: A Page in the Book of the Liberation Struggle
A small but important part of South African liberation mythology was committed to posterity this week when the Lilliesleaf Farm in the Rivonia suburb of Johannesburg was declared a museum and…
South African Retrospective: Robben Island
Prison Islands occupy a particular place in the macabre mythology of human history.
South African folklore: The tiny terror that is the "Tokoloshe"
I love hearing strange traditional tales from foreign lands, so I thought I might introduce you to some eccentric South African stories that people grow up with here.
Capture South Africa's Rainbow of Colours with Mandela Park Mosaics
Hout Bay's township of Imizamo Yethu houses one of the brightest African craft projects around: Mandela Park Mosaics , founded in 1999 and today a supplier of all manner of glittering, hand-made…
Soweto Landmark: the Cooling Towers
Spotted! The twin cooling towers of the defunct Orlando Power Station in Soweto, South Africa’s largest township.
Khumbulani Children's Home
In 2000, nine women in Khayelitsha, Cape Town's biggest township, sat together and asked themselves a number of questions regarding what needed to be done in order to combat HIV and AIDS in their…
Rondebosch Craft Market - Great for Gifts
Here's a great tip for international students at UCT, visitors who love crafts, and anyone else looking for a unique gift for a new South African friend or host: head to the Rondebosch Craft Market ,…
The Xhosa Circumcision Ritual
Deaths from ritual circumcision in the Eastern Cape have been in the news recently. Township blogger Nozuko P gives an overview of the practice.
Goodbye Shelly NU, Hello - ??
Student Blogger Shelly - who came to South Africa on the Northwestern University/Medill School of Journalism study abroad ticket - has departed Africa's shores for other parts, and SA Logue would…
African Thanksgiving Ritual: "The Falling of the Beast" (2/2)
Township Blogger Nozuko P recently visited her home in the Eastern Cape to perform a ritual of thanksgiving. Here, she explains what that involves.
My South African Top Ten (5-1)
Student blogger Shelly NU continues her countdown to number one... 5. Learning the meaning of "lobola" (bride price).
Soweto Landmark: Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital
Spotted! The Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital in Soweto, South Africa's largest township.
African Thanksgiving Ritual: "The Falling of the Beast" (1/2)
Township Blogger Nozuko P recently visited her home in the Eastern Cape to perform a ritual of thanksgiving. Here, she explains what that involves.
My South African Top Ten (10-6)
As I wrap up my last week at The Star , I am already trying to figure out the fastest way to come back to this country. I can’t believe my time here is over, and, as always, it flew by way too fast.
Surveillance Lights: the 1980s' CCTV
Spotted! A surveillance light! Where? Khayelitsha, near Sibanye . .flickr-photo { } .flickr-frame { float: left; text-align: center; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px; } .flickr-caption {…
A Day in Soweto
As the white van turns left off of the M12 into Soweto , South Africa's largest township, an awkward silence falls over the group of American tourists.
A Trip to Town from CPT International: the Cooling Towers (2/5)
Visiting Cape Town soon? Here's a sneak preview of your first glimpses of the city - what you'll see en route from the airport to town ( click on the CPT to Town tag for all the posts).
World Fair Trade Day
Today is the second Saturday in May - which means it's World Fair Trade day ! The day has been set aside to increase awareness about ethical trading in world commodities like coffee - and, in South…
Stuck in the Middle of the Zuma Trial!
Thousands of Jacob Zuma's supporters came in busses from around the country. They were dressed in "100% Zuma" and "100% Zuluboy" t-shirts, ANC Youth League jerseys and even feathers and skins,…
A trip to paradise? Not exactly...
After enjoying months without rain , our friends in Cape Town were convinced they lived in a paradise where the sun always shone - and they never ceased to remind us Joburg folk, suffering through a…
Arrested on Freedom Day
Question: How many holidays can one country have in a month? Answer: In South Africa, the average is about one a week in April (not including my birthday of course, April 17th) - leading to numerous…
Taking Part in the South African Story
Snippets from my first three weeks at The Star newspaper: Representative of the most privileged group in SA's society, a white male gets passed over for a promotion he may have deserved.
Oppikoppi Easter Festival
Waking up at 9 am was already considered late for the hardcore beer-drinkers at the Oppikoppi Easter Festival .
African Home, Woodstock, Cape Town: Shop Review
African Home Ground Floor, Hills Building Buchanan Square, Sir Lowry Road (btwn. Dormehl & Nelson Sts.) Woodstock, Cape Town | Map African Home Keyring Specialty: African-themed home decor artefacts,…
Sibanye, Khayelitsha, Cape Town: Shop Review
Sibanye Cnr. Lwandle & Spine Roads, Khayelitsha Cape Town | Map Sibanye Flowers Specialty: Beautiful township crafts, in support of HIV/AIDS-affected communities Tel : +27 (0) 21 364 1187 / (0) 83…
Meet Nozuko, Township Blogger!
Hello SA Blog readers far and wide! I'm Nozuko, from Khayelitsha (that's Xhosa for "new home"), a township outside Cape Town. It's South Africa's second largest.
New Brighton, Nelson Mandela Metropole (Port Elizabeth): Township Tour Review
New Brighton & Others , Nelson Mandela Metropole (Port Elizabeth) Eastern Cape Province Calabash Township Tour Operator: Calabash Tours Township based? No Will pick you up?
Oscar Night: South Africans Hold Breath for Tsotsi
Tsotsi , the film version of Athol Fugard's 1980 novel, directed by Gavin Hood, represents South Africa's best hope of winning an Oscar tonight.
Goodbye Karen, Hello - ??
It's time to wish SA Blog's pioneering first student blogger , Karen of the University of Chicago , goodbye and good luck!
New Tourism Centre Opens in Soweto
Soweto, South Africa's most famous township, and one of the most-visited places on the continent, now has its own tourist information centre, opened last week in the historic precinct of Kliptown .
Streetwires, Cape Town: Shop Review
Streetwires 77 Shortmarket Street, Cape Town, 8000 | Map Specialty: Wire art and functional pieces Tel : +27 (0) 21 426 2475, Fax : +27 (0) 21 426 0860 info@streetwires.co.za www.streetwires.co.za SA…
Time Flies in Paradise
Paradise, it would seem, is not lost but slipping away. That is how I feel, at least, with my last week in Cape Town just around the corner.
The Treatment Action Campaign: Fighting for AIDS Justice
An SA Blog Valentine's Day special post. One of the most important social movements in post-apartheid South Africa centers around the fight for AIDS justice .
On Studying Abroad (Or Why I'm Really Here)
It’s very exciting when one has the opportunity to be in such a welcoming city. Sometimes I feel that Cape Town has extended her arms towards me; I'm in such a comforting embrace that, while miles…
What it’s Like to Study Abroad: More on the U of Chicago Program
I arrived in South Africa on January 3rd, to a Johannesburg that I had only read about.
What it’s Like to Study Abroad: the U of Chicago Program
I’ve often been asked what it is I’m doing here. What does studying abroad in SA consist of - what does it entail?
Clanwilliam Living Landscape Project: An Archaeological Approach to Tourism and Job Creation
The Clanwilliam Living Landscape Project is an exemplary model of how to turn natural resources into a means of local development and empowerment.
Langa, Cape Town: Township Tour
Langa and other sites Cape Town Western Cape Trip or Tour? - A Visit to Langa "It's a trip really, not a tour, inside the other side of Cape Town.
Meet Karen from the University of Chicago
Who am I? I'm a 4th year student at the University of Chicago, concentrating in International Studies, though who I am is often easier to tackle than where I am from.