After a day of orientation, we left Rondebosch for Langa Township to eat at the famous Mzansi Restaurant. Welcomed by several warm faces, the smell of hot food and a live band it was the perfect ending to a long day of learning. Moreover, it was a wonderful start to the next 24 hours centered around this culturally rich neighborhood.
While Langa literally means ‘sun’ in Xhosa, one of the official languages of South Africa, the township’s name orginates from Langalibalele, who was a prominent chief and rainmaker and was later imprisoned for rebelling against the Natal government. After leaving imprisonment, Langalibalele lived in what is now the Township. Established in 1927 under the 1923 Urban Areas Act, Langa is one of the many areas in South Africa that was designated for Black Africans before the apartheid era. Today there is a vivacious sense of life and culture and a strong awareness of growth and freedom after the apartheid era. Below are a series of images from our tour of the Township.
Christina Smiros
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<div><span style="color: rgb(29, 29, 29); font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(237, 237, 237);">Hi All! My name is Christina and I am thrilled to be in Cape Town. Originally from Long Island, I study Neuroscience and Studio Arts at the University of Rochester. With a life long passion for photography and medicine I am delighted to be documenting my experience in South Africa through a Public Health lens, but don't be surprised if there is also a lot of pictures of food, people and tourist-y things.</span></div>
