On Thursday I visited Bonnytoun again. We did a workshop with the boys about gender issues and inequalities between men and women, particularly in South Africa. When asked about what it means to "be a man", one of the boys in our group said that it meant that you couldn't cry. He then went on to say that he had watched his brother get shot in front of him and in that same week his grandmother died; he said that he couldn't cry because his mother and his sisters needed him. This young man is in Bonnytoun because of seven different convictions, including one of murder. Incidentally, his brother is also inside - he attempted murder because he wanted to be in prison with his brother. After re-grouping with the other volunteers, it disturbed me to hear that a few of them had boys talk about how being a man meant you could force yourself on a woman, especially if she was a "tomboy" and "if she didn't like the penis". This refers to the practice of raping women who are (or appear to be) lesbians - what is commonly known as "corrective rape" - something that is, unfortunately, very prevalent in South Africa.
On a more positive note, today I accompanied Tash (a volunteer from the UK) to St. Anne's. St. Anne's is a shelter for women and children, located in the suburb of Woodstock. Tash is currently working with the women there, and she is helping to facilitate a jewellery sale where the women will sell handmade jewellery that they have been making. I must admit that the shelter was not the dingy, hidden-away hole that I was expecting - it was bright, cheerful and had plenty of space for the children to play:
My task today was to photograph the pieces that will go on sale.
Bracelets made by the women of St. Anne's
Evelyn (St. Anne's) and Tash look at the pieces
Because the office closed at 1pm, Rachel (UK) and I decided to visit Boulders Beach. Boulders is located near the historic suburb of Simon's Town, and is home to a colony of African Penguins. The train ride in to Simon's Town offered us spectacular views, although at times it felt as if we were going to topple off the rickety track and right into the water!
The beach itself was beautiful; in fact, it reminded me so much of some of our beaches in Western Australia (and I hate to admit it when another country has great beaches).
View of Boulders Beach
Looking slightly windswept!
The lovely Rachel
The penguins were, of course, the highlight of the trip:
We stopped for afternoon tea at a lovely little cafe overlooking the ocean, and indulged in dessert - deep-fried coconut ice cream and Frangelico crème brûlée:
The area surrounding Boulders really is picturesque, with houses set into the mountainside, hilly streets and sweeping views of the sea and Table Mountain National Park.
I'll leave you with a short video of the train ride into Simon's Town...and those adorable little penguins:
Thank you, Zarah, for sharing your amazing experiences, not just with words, but the accompanying photos and video-clips. It's almost as good as being there!
ReplyDeleteThe dessert would be enough reason to brave the train ride!