Tuesday 5 June 2007- Day Four

Today we went to the township of Alexandra where we met with the Alexandra Renewal Project (ARP) and had a tour of Alex. The ARP meeting was interesting, however I find some of their proposal for urban building poorly founded. It seems to me that they want to create a center that does not naturally exist. I completely agree with the focus on the youth aspect and the attempt to connect Alex to the rest of Joburg but the idea of a skate park is ridiculous. It seems that most of the proposed construction is aimed at a sports culture that does not seem to exist in Alex. This is similar to the “Keep Austin Weird’ campaign of Austin, Texas with one major difference. The Keep Austin Weird campaign is centered on preserving the unique heritage of small business owners, student centered focus, and artistic ‘free spirits’ that have congregated in and on Austin. The difference is that this artistic free spirit community exists within Austin whereas this sports focus is not native to Alex.
I feel that the skate park would bring in boutique tourism as opposed to actual tourism. In place of trying to attract tourists, perhaps the funding should be allocated to a youth playground or something that will serve the needs of the community. Besides, what if the skate park charges? Who will be able to afford the costs associated with its use? Skating is potentially dangerous (broken bones, ect) and I wonder if Alex has the health infrastructure to handle the increased number of patients. Maybe the ARP should build an arts center or a drama facility for the pre-existing drama group.

This is the first time that I have been to a township (favela, informal settlement, ect). It looked the way I expected it to, however, the amount of local businesses was surprising. Aside from the street vendors that I expected, I was surprised at the number of cell phone stores, barbershops, and bodegas. Everyone in the community was friendly and open to us being there. It is amazing how people living in conditions that are beyond the realm of possibility for most of us can be so hopeful and giving.

I find it hard to reconcile the wealth of some parts of the city with the poverty of the townships. The government’s inaction is astounding. I understand that housing is expensive to build but something as basic as garbage pickup is relatively inexpensive and would greatly improve living conditions. Never have I seen marginalization to this extreme. To say it is shocking is an understatement. It makes me both sad and angry. I hope that in the remaining six weeks I can do something to improve the daily life of these people.