LANGA – Cidade do Sol
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Langa, which means sun, is one of the oldest cities of Cape Town. Coming from apartheid, was the fate of blacks away from dignity and access to school, and the right to come and go.
Every resident of Rio de Janeiro (my birthplace) has some kind of contact with the favela, they surround us, but the “townships” of Cape Town has a different air. This origin tells a story that did not come through the rural exodus, as the Cariocas, but came from a fight – which since 1994 is silent – social apartheid. Today there is no more legal barriers preventing the right to come and go. But the fight still continues?
We saw people in precarious conditions infrastructure and housing, improvising to eat, we saw heads of goats (meat is cheaper) preserved in the sun, interestingly means Langa) while the other side restaurants were full. We had the privilege of knowing a family that is sustained by tourism. In conversation, they spent a lot of pride in being a united people, in his language, the joy of children, and small conquests that had over the years.
Students walk through the streets with their uniforms very clean. I noticed that this pride was embedded a story of victory in the struggles of a somewhat recent past: the symbol of the black revolution – Mandela – free of life imprisonment, the conquest of democratic and multiracial elections (won by – before persecuted – African National Congress on Mandela’s command), the conquest of the dignity of having access to school, among other affirmative actions implemented by the new government.
A people that reflects hope through smiles, brings many thoughts about our reality and our personal goals. Apart from sports activities with perfect conditions, Cape Town is an amazing place and even inspiring a scenario of breathtaking on a quiet evening. The feeling is of having one seed of inspiration planted in some relevant points of my being, my challenge is to be the powear to pass on. And as they say in Xhosa: Amandla!A people that reflects hope through smiles, brings many thoughts about our reality and our personal goals. Apart from sports activities with perfect conditions, Cape Town is an amazing place and even inspiring a scenario of breathtaking on a quiet evening. The feeling is of having one seed of inspiration planted in some relevant points of my being, my challenge is to be the powear to pass on. And as they say in Xhosa: Amandla!
