Welcome to Langa

Jan. 24, 2018

Our first full day in South Africa was spent in Langa Township, an impoverished suburb in Cape Town. The surprising thing about visiting the township was that despiteseeing people living with what seemed like so little from an outside perspective, I don’t think that I’ve ever seen so many smiles in one place in my life. From the kids walking on the street to our local tour guides, the exuberance and sense of community was so apparent. However, it didn’t end at our tour. Afterwards we visited a home turned social enterprise called Mzansi Restaurant. There we experienced a traditional home cooked meal from a woman we referred to as “Mama” and learned of her story building her restaurant from the ground up. We heard of her initial struggle to get customers given that many tourists are not interested or are afraid to visit townships. She said there needed to be an incentive for them to visit, something positive to bring them in so that they too could see the beauty and the strong sense of community that their township has to offer. Boy did Mama deliver. During our meal, we were treated to a musical performance put on by local street children. We indulged in flavorful meal that not only filled our stomachs, but our souls as well.