Walk Gentle

I read a twitter comment that somebody had made the other day. 

" Coming home to Mdantsane for holidays is like going on vacation to Afghanistan. "

Mdantsane still lacks the most basic entertainment facilities after 16  years of independence. There is not one cinema in the township ( the population of Mdantsane is estimated to be over a million people). There are hardly any pubs, bars or restaurants, apart from the usual shebeens. From a point of view of entertainment facilities the township has not much to offer. You have to be in your house in the evening because of the high crime rate.

But one thing that distinguishes this township from many other big townships is the pristine and beautiful environment. The beaches are close and easy to reach. There are miles of unspoilt coastline.

Christmas time is beach time. You go to the beach with your familiy and friends.
Have a braai ( barbecue), just linger, have drinks, talk and relax..The Christmas season in South Africa is like a prolonged national holiday and many companies and firms close around the 15th of December.

Just spoil yourself and if you can get forget your sorrows over money, love, the lack of things you need and don't have for a couple of days. They'll come back to you as soon as you let them. And they are willing to stay with your for another year. SO let go for now !

Go for a walk with your daughter.

And just walk gentle.

Looking Back, The Transkei Elections 1963

It is estimated that more than 50 % of  the inhabitants of the Mdantsane township today are under the age of 18 years.

The images shown here were taken 48 years ago in 1963 during the Transkei elections. The Transkei was the first of the ' Bantustans States " set aside for Africans by the South African Apartheid Government. The Bantustan were supposedly self-governing but they were in reality controlled by Whites.

Waiting To Vote

Transkei women dressed in the traditional Xhosa costume are waiting outside a polling station during the Transkei Elections in 1963. More than two thirds of the Transkei electorate voted, despite Apartheid Government restrictions at the time on political rallies and meetings.  

Showing The Passbooks

African votes register for the Transkei elections in 1963.

(Pictures are from Time Life Library, South Africa, 1963)

Together We Can Build Better Communities

It was a beautiful sunny day with a clear blue sky and the trees were blossoming all over Mdantsane.

And these two handsome dudes were in a compatible mood

What more can a street photographer ask for ?

I am happy !

Ancient and Modern

We want to show you the little corners in Mdantsane as well, the small things that get overlooked either because one is so used to them or because they are simply to subtle to be noticed often.

The post office No 5219 in Mdantsane Hi-way NU 1 displays a very impressive full wall mosaic on the front. It is beautifully done and shows a potpourri of South African scenes. In the left corner in the front stands a Xhosa woman in her traditional attire with a baby on her back and she is busy smoking a pipe.
In the back you can see modern houses on a mountain slope. In the right hand front corner a girl in school uniform is looking through a miscroscope. A well groomed gentleman in his Sunday suit and a hat looks over her shoulder smiling, and in the center part of the mural you can see a couple, the woman carrying a parcel on her head while the man is walking behind her.

The mosaic represents so well what South-Africa stands for today. It is the old and the new, the young and the old, the modern and the traditional, the rich and the poor - and all standing so close to each other that they can feel each other's breath. Each one of these scenes you can and will encounter in your daily life.

And a couple of seconds later, while I was still studying the mural, one of the motifs of the mosaic repeats itself on the street, when a young woman with a child on her arm passes by.

It is the first time that I have looked intensely at this work of art because I was waiting for someone in front of the post-office. I have seen it several times but I have never looked at it this way. For the first time the artist has achieved with me what I suppose he wanted to achieve. I have studied it and started reflecting about it.

It is a really beautiful and deep piece of art and I promised myself that I would go back to find out who the artist is.

Motherhood

The best place in life that you can get for a couple of years is on your mother's back.

Reflections On The Past

IT SEEMS LIKE THE FUTURE HAS OVERTAKEN THE PAST AND LEFT IT BEHIND.

Traditional Will Never Be Out Of Fashion !!!

We received one last piece of useful advice from the SEWING SISTERS.

" A Woman does not have to look like a twig, cause what man does want a twig ? "

Another relieving thought don't you think?