Mzoli's

To celebrate our last Sunday in Cape Town, my roommates and I went to Mzoli's market in the Guguletu Township. When visiting Mzoli's, your first stop is at the butcher shop to pick out your meat (being vegetarian, I brought a PB & J sandwich, but regardless, the experience is worth it). They then pass you your 'bucket of meat' which you then take to the braai room. While you wait for your meat to cook, you can enjoy music and dance in their patio area. 

Mzoli's is a unique atmosphere in that it brings together so many different worlds. Generally speaking, it is extremely unlikely for white individuals to be found roaming around the townships. However, Mzoli's offers an exception to the rule and is both welcoming and affirming of diversity. 

Since we were already in Guguletu, my roommate Christine and I decided to walk a few blocks to her service site, a nearby primary school. I had been informed that the area surrounding Mzoli's can be somewhat dangerous if you are not careful. However my curiosity to see more of the township, as well as where my roommate had dedicated so much of her time abroad, got the best of me. 

When we reached Christine's school we were greeted by some of the children that had been playing in the field. The youngest ones, who did not speak English, came running over to me with arms outstretched shouting out "Amy Biehl Foundation," which is the outreach program that Christine worked for. This foundation recruits volunteers, many of whom are white individuals, to do youth outreach within the schools in the townships. It was amazing to me that this young girl had assumed that I was part of the Amy Biehl Foundation, likely because that is the only time she sees white women in her township. This is an example of the segregation that is prevalent throughout the city. It seems as though there are imaginary borders that certain individuals either refuse to, or are prohibited, to pass. Cape Town needs more people like Amy Biehl who are willing to surpass those borders (read more about Amy's life and legacy here: http://www.myhero.com/go/hero.asp?hero=a_biehl).