Biologists learning from conversations in Cape Town

Posted by: Adam Kay | June 17, 2019

Biologists learning from conversations in Cape Town

A few students and I have come to Cape Town to study the biology of urban agriculture. A lot of our time is spent learning about soil preparation, composting, and crop production at urban farms in Khayelitsha, the largest township in South Africa. But we’ve also had opportunities to meet and learn from many different people throughout Cape Town.

I asked the students to describe a memorable conversation or interaction that they’ve had since they’ve been here. They’ve produced a diverse collection of memories. Steven describes an interaction at one of the urban farms in Khayelitsha; Sophia writes about an overnight camping trip in Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve with members of an organization called Usiko dedicated to helping youth at risk; Maggie writes about Faizel, a friend from the Cape Malay community; and Mallory writes about a conversation during a Dine with Khayelitsha event, in which we ate dinner in a shanty with residents. I think the words and pictures will give you at least a sense of these experiences.

Here they are:

STEVEN PLOUFFE: “On our second day at one of the gardens in Khayelitsha our program leader Zack had us do an exercise to initiate communication between the university students and the locals. We were set up in two circles; the university students on the inside and the locals on the outside. Zack then followed to ask us questions in which both the students and the locals spent about 30 seconds going over their response. One question he asked was: “If you could change one thing about your community what would it be?” as I was standing across from Mama Babalwa. I answered that I would like to make my community more inclusive as I told her how rarely I interact with my neighbors. Mama Babalwa was absolutely blown away. She then followed to tell me a little bit about how her community works. She told me how everyday her and her neighbors have meaningful down-to-earth conversations. She told me how often they support each other in times of need and how her community was like family. Now I was the one who was blown away. The idea of a community being so interwoven is something completely new to me. Coming into Khayelitsha I never thought I would learn how to improve my community. I figured that since our houses are bigger and our wallets are fuller, we are doing everything right. This could not be further from the truth. I realized after having this conversation that I need to take a step back as to how I look at things. Regardless of status everyone has something to offer and if we fail to acknowledge this we fail to learn. I am so happy to have had this conversation with Mama Babalwa, and am excited to approach everything with an open mind as this trip continues.“

Mama Babalwa at a farm in Khayelitsha

SOPHIE BROWN: “While on this trip, I have sung, laughed, and swapped stories with many people. This past weekend, the class went to the mountains of Cape Town and spent about 24 hours connected with the Earth and each other. My most impactful conversation was not necessarily a conversation but listening to Leita, a leader of the weekend hike, talk about the importance of every person and the gift that every person brings to the Earth. We all took a moment to think about a gift we bring and the tell the group. Gifts came up such as authenticity, hope, compassion, motivation. Being in this space and listening to what every person has to offer was encouraging for me as thoughts about climate change arose. This conversation also showed me qualities of people that I want to embrace in myself and those around me. This experience made me feel peaceful and excited for the future. Though there have been many conversations, each memorable in their own way, this stuck out to me and has shifted my perspective.” (Here is an audio of the group singing an apartheid era protest song around the campfire)

The team hiking to our campsite in the Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve

MAGGIE SCHMALTZ: “It is very difficult for me to pinpoint the most meaningful interaction I have had with someone during this course, but the most impactful interactions I have had during this experience have been with Faizel, whose relationship to our group is technically our driver but in actuality is much more. Faizel was the first native Cape Townian I met after arriving here. From the start, Faizel told us of Cape Town’s recent history, and it was mind boggling to hear for the first time about the events of apartheid from someone who had lived through them. Even so, Faizel set a precedent for much of our conversations with him for the rest of our trip thus far as he described how “we are all the same,” when referencing humanity, explaining how the people and mediums that seek to tell us otherwise should be ignored.

Faizel is Cape Malay and (luckily for us) very willing to talk about his ancestors and his culture. Cape Malays are an ethnic group in South Africa; when the Dutch settled Cape Town in the 1600s, they sent many slaves, laborers and political exiles from their colonies in southeast Asia to Cape Town. Faizel explained that his ancestors were political prisoners on Robben Island hundreds of years ago. He describes that he and his family were considered “colored” under the apartheid regime and fell below white people in the hierarchal system that was created; though this language persists, he insists most people do not find it offensive. Faizel offers us glimpses into his culture and faith through his storytelling and often encourages us to ponder our own cultures and faiths and the similarities present between them.

Mallory, Sinesipho, Maggie, Sophie, and Faizel

We were given a taste of Cape Malay cuisine (delicious!!) at Biesmiellah, a Cape Malay restaurant that translates to “in the name of God.” In one of the most memorable experiences of this course so far, we were also invited to join Faizel and his community members prepare dozens of 100 liter and 50 liter pots of food to give away in celebration of Eid, the end of Ramadan and the daytime fasting that accompanies the month for Muslims. As Faizel speaks of his religion and his culture, I cannot help feeling saddened by the light that many in the US have come to view this beautiful religion in. Faizel suggested I purchase an English copy of the Quran, insisting it would not be disrespectful to Muslims to do so and that while he did not expect it to be transformative religion-wise in any way, it might offer some perspective. “We are all the same,” he insists. The parallels between the struggles and the joys that are experienced here and at home are increasingly making me realize that I could not agree more.”

Eid celebration in which we made pots of food for the hungry

MALLORY HEDDEN: “Last week our class had the opportunity to get a glimpse of what it’s like to live in a township during an event known as Dine with Khayelitsha. We interacted with some of the kids living in the township, tried a variety of South African foods, and had conversations around life in the townships and inequality. The topic of conversation that has stuck with me from that night is the prevalence of sexual assault in the townships.

Sinethemba, one of the facilitators of the event, started the conversation by opening it up for any questions we might by wondering about in regards to living in Khayelitsha. I felt like I needed a better understanding of why the sexual assault statistic was so high. I raised my hand and asked, “What is it about living in a township that causes sexual assault to be so common?” Sinethemba responded by saying that boys in the townships are brought up with the idea engrained in their mind that men are people and women are simply objects to be had. It’s very common for boys to witness their fathers sexually assault their mothers, and also some girls are brought up believing they are just objects. Sinethemba suggested that this is in part a result of black men being oppressed by white people during apartheid. Sexually assaulting women became a way for black men to unleash anger, and to gain some form of control and dominance in their life.

Later in the night, Adam (our professor) asked Sinesipho, a young woman who has been accompanying our class throughout the trip, if she ever felt like she needed to keep her confidence and assertiveness in check as an empowered black woman. (Sineshipho is the first in her family and one of the few young people in Khayelitsha to obtain a college degree). She said yes, there have been certain situations where she had to keep quiet and couldn’t stand up for what she believed in because her safety was on the line. Overall this conversation left me feeling emotional, dumbfounded, and angry. How was this issue ever going to be resolved when a majority of the community, including women themselves, viewed women as objects? And even if more young people became empowered and wanted to take a stand against this issue, how effective could they truly be if they are forced into silence to stay safe? I have no idea what I can do to help and I’m not even sure if it’s my place to, but I think bringing awareness is a good place to start.”