Gawking at Poverty

Sarah and I have a to-do list taped to our wall in F4 .

Early on, we added "Township Tour" to the list--friends from the hostel said that we had to do one; they all had gone and had amazing experiences.

Well, this morning we finally did it, and I'm still not quite sure what to think. But I can tell you the term "amazing" isn't the first word that I would use to describe the experience. But first, a little background info...

For those of you who don't know, as early as 1901 the government of South Africa began forcibly moving certain racial groups out of specific areas of South Africa. The majority of forced migrations took place under the Group Areas Act of 1950, a piece of legislation which essentially excluded any non-white person from from being allowed to live or work in established towns or economically viable areas. People were displaced to townships, urban residential areas away from cities. Today, many of South Africa's townships are essentially slum communities of government built housing and shack settlements that stretch out for miles.

Here's how a township tour works: Basically, people (mostly foreigners) pay about $40 (US) to ride around in a VW mini bus with a tour guide who talks about different aspects of South African history, government, and society. Periodically, the tour guide stops and lets everyone get out, take pictures, and wander around different community buildings. This morning we stopped at a pub, community pottery center, community medicine-center, hostel, kindergarten, and church.

Overall, the tour wasn't bad. We had a great guide. He was very informative and professional and at times I felt like I was listening to a lecture in a sociology class. Also, seeing township life and culture first-hand gave me valuable insight into the lives of the people I've been treating at the hospital.

But, I couldn't (and still can't) get over the feeling that the entire purpose of the township tour was to gawk at poverty. The whole time I felt like I was on one of those trams at the zoo, looking out the windows and taking in the sites--except here I was looking into the lives of real people and not just zebra and monkey cages. The more I think about it, the more I feel horrified at how de-humanizing it was.

When the time came for us to actually get out and walk around I felt even more awkward. I mean, I how do you even begin to talk to someone you meet on the street who knows that you are a rich white person visiting the community as some type of tourist attraction? It was so strange.

Throughout the tour, I kept holding out hope for the church visit at the end. I mean, attending a church service with other Christians seemed slightly less pretentious than snapping photos of "the natives" through the window of the tour bus. But, it wasn't. In some ways, the church service was the most surreal and bizarre experience of the entire trip. We filed into the back of a church, already in session, and listened as the preacher told us that, "They were gonna show us how they Praise the Lord in South Africa." All of the sudden church had become a show, too, complete with drum set and back-up singers.

If I had to pick a word to describe my township tour experience, I think I would pick some form of the word lament. I lament the fact that in 2007 there are still thousands and thousands (and globally, millions...) of people living in shacks. I lament the realities of domestic violence, and alcoholism, and unemployment that are all a very real part of life for people who live in a Township. And, I lament the gap that racism and classism and township-living has created in South Africa. At the end of the tour I stumbled out of the VW mini bus emotionally exhausted; it was more than I could take in. I felt like I had just attended a funeral.

To be fair, I should say that the tour guide told us that people who live in townships actually appreciate the tours because they feel tours are bringing awareness of township life. This is definitely a good thing. But, the very realistic part of my brain keeps reminding me that awareness alone doesn't do much.

Well, there are lot of things I could venture out on, now. But, I need to stop and attend to the schoolwork that is calling my name, even though I know the wheels in my head will keep turning.

As always, send your thoughts this way.