WELCOME TO THE MDANTSANE WAY MAGAZINE

Mdantsane is a unique, vibrating, eclectic, African place. Follow us on a pilgrimage to Mdantsane to discover the street culture, fashion, food, people, music, homes, taverns, humor, businesses, history and what's hot in the second biggest township in South-Africa, located close to the city of East London in the Province of the Eastern Cape. Join us on this journey while we capture the spirit of this amazing place for you in the here and in the now. We are going to introduce you to many individuals, artists, musicians, groups and associations.
They are the HEROES OF DAILY LIFE. They are the people who create, innovate and improve their life and their stories deserve to be told. This is a place for only good and positive stories of humanity, that will send out a message of courage, endurance and strength to the world through their pictures and words.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

A Look At NU 7

There goes the beautiful saying;"What you can perceive, you can receive!"


It is time to do away with the myth that there is only poverty, starvation and deprivation in Mdantsane. A closer look at N.U 7 will just do that.


A while ago I wrote about N.U 5. 
Standing on a hill, looking down at the great Grinnaker dam I could imagine how Mdantsane would look like in thirty years, or may be even sooner in a decade or two. Mdantsane -a suburb of East London with tree lined alleys, neat lawns and flowers lining the outside of the walls. Fenced or walled houses with burglar bars shimmering through the curtains. But still painted in bright colors.


N.U 7 allows you to get a vision of that. It's considered a posh place in the township. 
If it is difficult for you to follow me on that imaginary journey or if you can not belief just yet in such a positive outlook of Mdantsane's future just look intensely at these pictures for a while.


Houses and street scenes like this you could find in any other suburb of East London.


A friend was arguing with me and she said: "I believe shacks will never disappear entirely in South Africa.  Even if people acquire riches and get new houses, the ones who will live in shacks will come. This is what we have inherited from the previous government. We can not overcome it".


But I think exactly that will happen. Shacks will disappear entirely one day. Which brings me back to my opening sentence - what you can perceive you can receive! 

 
Mdantsane is a place that undergoes permanent transformation.
 

As a photographer it is exciting for me to document and be part of this transformation with my camera.

 
I have shown you many pictures of shacks on this blog. And although they are considered as a symbol of great poverty I admire the unmatched artistic creativity of the people who build them. But of course I wish that they should disappear entirely so that each and every South African can live under decent conditions.


It is a necessity that shacks and squatter camps disappear and the symbols of poverty will be replaced with the symbols of a middle class




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