About 30 minutes from the centre of Cape Town lies Khayelitsha, a Township, home to over 1 million residents. In the heart of Makhaza, a neighbourhood in Khayelitsha is eKhaya eKasi Art & Education Centre. It is home to The Heart of a Woman Project in South Africa, a women’s mobile photography and digital literacy initiative I founded in 2013.
Lulama, director of eKhaya eKasi Art & Education Centre, stands in front of this multi-purpose community centre in Khayelitsha.The view from the rooftop of eKhaya eKasi Art & Education Centre where I first visited in December 2012. eKhaya eKasi means ‘home in the hood’ in isiXhosa, the predominant language in this Cape Town Township. The neighbourhood has modest brick houses and informal dwellings. The informal homes are made of corrugated metal, tin and wood and residents share a communal water source and toilets. This Township was established during the apartheid era in 1985 and is Cape Town’s largest.Women at eKhaya eKasi make bracelets for Cape Town businesses. Programs that address unemployment, illiteracy, poverty, health and HIV/AIDS are offered. The skills development programs teach women, mostly mothers and grandmothers, arts, crafts and entrepreneurship. There is an on-site art boutique where participants sell their work to the tourists that visit. Sales provide revenue to the centre so the programs may continue as well as offers an opportunity for the women to generate an income so they may provide for themselves and their loved ones. Women are often the sole providers and caregivers in the Township and face challenges such as high unemployment rates, alcoholism and domestic abuse.eKhaya eKasi provides space for social services and community meetings. Women in the skills development program serve soup to residents for the Meals on Wheels program. The Elders seated in the photo met to discuss their burial society. Burial societies are designed to help ease the costs of a funeral by operating on a monthly contribution. The estimate is that two-thirds of households in townships participate. The ability to give their family a dignified burial is a significant cultural event.Veliswa, a married mother of 4 and founding member of The Heart of a Woman Project in South Africa, photographs live chickens in Khayelitsha. Inspired by the model of education and empowerment through the arts,Work clothes hang on a clothesline in an informal settlement that we photographed in Khayelitsha. Informal settlements are areas with makeshift dwellings crammed closely together. Residents do not have access to water in their homes or on their property. They must walk to get water from a communal water source and use communal toilets, which are often in disrepair.Yolanda, a married mother of 2 pauses to photograph a ‘Stop Woman Abuse’ mural on Walter Sisulu Road in Khayelitsha. Many of the fences are painted with street art and showcase anything from advertising a cal business to addressing social issues.Aviwe, a participant in The Heart of a Woman Project, photographs children in Khayelitsha as a curious resident looks on.Retsepile, a founding member of The Heart of a Woman Project, photographs an informal settlement. This settlement has an approximate population of 11,000 people.Participants, Yolanda and Esther, share a laugh as they pretend to be waiting for a bus at this Khayelitsha bus stop. We stopped to discuss the art of capturing street photos.Yolanda and Aviwe photograph the mural on a shipping container, home to Mama Blessing Hair Salon in Khayelitsha. Several small commercial shopping malls and many independently owned businesses can be found here. These companies sell their goods and services in shacks, shipping containers or simply on the sidewalk. With high unemployment rates in Khayelitsha, it is necessary to find economic opportunities. Most of the containers and shacks are painted with colourful murals.Participants walk (and dance) back to the van after two days of photographing Township Life with the goal of one of the images becoming a postcard.
A participant in The Heart of a Woman Project in South Africa folds the newest product, greeting cards. At the end of the workshop in November 2013, each participant was given 200 postcards of one of their images to sell in the on-site boutique at eKhaya eKasi. Both products are currently sold in the shop and globally through the website.The women get familiar with Hubspace Khayelitsha, a co-working environment for entrepreneurs in townships.Nwabisa, the project coordinator of The Heart of a Woman Project in South Africa, talks about the program to tourists visiting the centre with Uthando South Africa, a responsible tourism organization.Nwabisa, mother of 2 and founding member, photographs Henry at the Site C taxi rank in Khayelitsha as Thoban, a member of the Cape Town Instagram community offers some tips. On June 1, 2014, the women hosted the inaugural #InstameetEKASI in Khayelitsha with members of the Cape Town Igers (instagrammers).Henry, Site C. Photo was taken June 1, 2014, by Nwabisa N. at the inaugural InstameetEKASI. Nwabisa is one of the founding members of The Heart of a Woman Project mobile photography program at eKhaya eKasi and the coordinator of the program. She has been teaching the three newest participants since October 2014.Velisa, a founding member of The Heart of a Woman Project mobile photography program at eKhaya eKasi proudly displays a framed image of her photo of a shoe repairman in Khayelitsha. This picture is Veliswa’s series 1.0 postcard and greeting card and was taken with a donated previously owned iPhone 4s.Busisiwe, a married mother of 2, goes through her iPhone photos and shares them on social media. Each participant has their own Instagram, Twitter and Facebook accounts. The ladies use social media to share images of Township life and connect with supporters around the world.A collage in the shape of a heart of the women’s photos taken over the first year of The Heart of a Woman Project in South Africa. It was debuted at the 1st-anniversary photography exhibition at eKhaya eKasi on November 22, 2014.The Eza Kwantu Cultural Group performs at The Heart of a Woman Project First Anniversary Exhibition. Eza Kwantu is a local youth group of vocalists that sing in isiXhosa.“Photography is more than art; it is empowerment, it is a creative outlet, it is a voice, and it is a source of income for a group of women from a Cape Town Township”
eKhaya eKasi generates income through product sales in its on-site art boutique, business to business orders and through tourism. The art boutique focuses on handmade crafts such as shwe shwe heart ornaments and bags, bead and wire products and photography products by artists in the women’s skills development programs, from the community and other areas of South Africa.
The goal is to draw tourists into a community that did not previously have tourism, offer cultural exchange and to provide economic opportunity to the artists and residents that partner and work with the centre.
Every sale and visit offer travellers an opportunity to visit projects that are making a difference in their communities, contribute to the local economy and make a difference with your purchases.
Visiting Cape Town?
Travel with Uthando South Africa to visit eKhaya eKasi and other development projects on a half-day tour.
Stay at The Backpack, an award-winning Fair-trade hostel suitable for all ages.
Have you been thinking of a family trip to South Africa? Is family travel in South Africa possible? Can you go on a safari with kids? Can a 4 year old go on safari? Can a 9-year old go on safari? YES. YES. YES. YES and YES.
South Africa is one of my favourite countries in the world, and Cape Town is my favourite city. It’s also one of our favourite places for a family trip. So much so that we’ve been to South Africa twice as a family of 4.
If you’ve been following me on social media or here on the blog, you would have heard of The Heart of a Woman Project, a women’s mobile photography initiative I started in 2013 at eKhaya eKasi Art & Education Centre in Khayelitsha.
I have visited South Africa ten times; twice with my husband and 2 sons who were 9 & 4 the first time they visited. My father also joined me on three of those trips.
Here are some family travel tips for Cape Town, ideas of things to do with kids and information about doing a safari in South Africa with children.
A view of Table Mountain, Lions Head and Signal Hill on approach to the Cape Town airport.
CAPE TOWN FAMILY TRAVEL TIPS
VISIT KHAYELITSHA
Go on a meaningful tour with Uthando SA to visit development projects in the townships. Uthando is an award-winning fair trade tourism organization doing fantastic work. Your tour directly helps the development projects you visit; you will leave inspired.
Note: You can visit eKhaya eKasi with Uthando. Be sure to request them for your tour with Uthando.
My youngest son was learning Xhosa games at eKhaya eKasi in Khayelitsha. We spent six days at the centre and in the community on our first visit.
SEE AFRICAN PENGUINS IN THE WILD
Go to the lesser-known Boulders Beach in Simonstown where you can get off the path and take the boardwalk down to the beach for the best view of the penguins. Swim or splash in the ocean and have a picnic. Look for Boulders Beach Lodge and Restaurant on Google maps and enter the parking lot on Bellevue Road near the Simonstown Golf Club.
My son taking photos of the penguins at Boulders Beach in Cape Town.
Beach views at Boulders Beach in Cape Town.
DRIVE CHAPMANS PEAK DRIVE & THE CAPE PENINSULA
You can add a drive on the beautiful and winding Chapmans Peak Drive to your Boulders Beach visit. If you have the time, make sure to stop at the lookout points. Make a day of it and visit Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope too, passing smaller coastal towns. You might see ostriches, baboons, and seals. You can take the funicular or hike up to the Cape Point Lighthouse.
For a tour that covers the Chapman’s Peak, the penguins and the Cape Peninsula, check these tours out:
Our family at a lookout point on Chapmans Peak Drive
VISIT MUIZENBERG, KALK BAY & ST. JAMES BEACH
Visit beautiful coastal towns in the False Bay area of Cape Town. Plan a beach day or two or three in Muizenberg. Watch the surfers or go to the nearby waterslides or mini golf (seasonal). There is a playground at the main beach at Surfer’s Corner and plenty of restaurants. Have a falafel at Yoffi’s, go to the Friday Night Market at Blue Bird Garage, have brunch and fresh pastries at Knead Bakery.
Be sure to visit the smaller and less busy St. James Beach, they have the infamous colourful beach huts (change rooms) too and a great tidal pool for swimming. Take a walk around Kalk Bay, visit the independent shops and galleries, have fish ‘n chips at Kalky’s, grab brunch with a view at Bootlegger’s and dinner at Satori’s.
Note: If you prefer to self-drive, you can easily add a visit to Kalk Bay, St. James and Muizenberg with your penguins/Chapmans Peak/Cape Peninsula trip depending on how much time you want to spend at each place. It will take a full day if you do it all. I highly recommend spending a few nights in Muizenberg if you have 4-5 days in Cape Town. It’s a world away yet close enough to the CBD and great fun for the whole family.
The view from our Airbnb in Muizenberg
Father and son at the tidal pool at St. James Beach in Cape Town.
WATCH A DUCK PARADE AT VERGENOEGD WINE ESTATE
Because ducks, over 1000 ducks! I was surprised to find out how family-friendly a winery could be. I had no idea. Adults can enjoy a great meal and wine tasting while children play on the grounds and have a picnic. Vergenoegd offers child minding. You can come back together for the duck parade. Read Visiting Family Friendly Vergenoegd Wine Estate in Stellenbosch, South Africa
My boys enjoying a picnic at Vergenoegd Wine Estate in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Sunset Views
Catch the sunset from Signal Hill and a view of Robben Island, it’s free and it’s my favourite spot to see the sun dip into the ocean. Bring a picnic. At certain times of the year, the City Sightseeing bus can take you there, otherwise order an Uber or drive yourself.
Visit Table Mountain for a sunset and city view. Be sure to check the current conditions as it may be too windy at the top and it will close early.
Sunset from Signal Hill in Cape Town
Tip: Drive past the entrance of Table Mountain to as far as the road goes for this daytime view.
FAMILY-FRIENDLY SAFARI IN THE GREATER KRUGER NATIONAL PARK IN SOUTH AFRICA
There is an overwhelming number of places to choose from for a safari in South Africa. Not all are created equal and are family-friendly. Some lodges welcome children 6 years of age and older while other lodges require children to be 12 years of age and older. I chose Naledi Game Lodges for our family safari as I had been there a few times and enjoyed the intimate atmosphere and South African family-owned safari lodge. My sons were 4 and 9 years old at the time and were welcome on all the game drives.
Naledi is an award-winning luxury lodge, but you may be surprised at how reasonably priced it is. We stayed at the Naledi Enkoveni lodge which is no longer a part of Naledi Lodges. At the time of our family visits, I hadn’t stayed at Bush Camp. I have since stayed at both lodges and they have a 2-bedroom suite which is perfect for families.
What I love about a safari in a private reserve:
You get the knowledge and keen eyes of the guides and trackers
Someone else does the driving so you can enjoy the scenery and take photos
You often get a closer look at the wildlife as you can go off-road to follow the sound of the cracking branches by the elephants or follow the lion pride as they look for their next meal.
The drives are 3 hours each but you stop for drinks, snacks and a bathroom break, bush style. My boys fell asleep for a short nap on every game drive (early mornings) but didn’t miss any of the action.
Cons:
Have to share the vehicle with others which may mean that you have to go where everyone wants to go. Though we lucked out and had it to ourselves).
Tip: If you visit Naledi Game Lodges, make sure to visit Rosie’s hide while there, it overlooks a waterhole. Enjoy the sounds of the bush and see what comes by for a drink. Check out the 24-hour webcams streaming from Naledi at Rosie’s or from Naledi Enkoveni.
In search of wild animals with Naledi Game Lodges. Happy to have shared this special place and these moments with those dearest to me.
Rest stop in the bush on safari with Naledi
Two yellow-billed hornbills in silhouette against the Drakensberg Mountains
Father and son in the infinity pool at Naledi Enkoveni in South Africa
SELF-DRIVE KRUGER NATIONAL PARK WITH THE FAMILY
What I love about self-driving Kruger National Park:
You can drive as little or as long as you like and take breaks (in designated areas) or return to your rest camp if you’re staying in the park.
You can be on the search for wildlife from gate open to gate close (10-12 hour days).
An incredible diversity of landscapes and wildlife
An air-conditioned car on hot summer days if you need it
Snacks and drinks in the car
You can stay at different rest camps in Kruger Park
You can stay at a sighting as long as you want
Can be more affordable
Cons:
Not as relaxing as being driven, guided and pampered
Don’t get as close to the animals unless they come to the road (I’ve had some incredible sightings including lion and elephant road blocks, the best kind).
Rest camps and rest stops may be further apart
Youngest son spotting wildlife on a self-drive through Kruger National park
Wild Dog on the hunt in Kruger Park shot on iPod by my oldest son
Long days on self-drives in Kruger Park
South Africa Travel Tips:
Spend 1-2 nights on the Panorama route to enjoy God’s Window and Blyde River Canyon on the way to Limpopo.
Stay at Tsanana Log Cabins at the Africa Silks Farm near Graskop in Mpumalanga. It’s a great place for families on the Panorama route and you can take a tour.
Have pannekoek (pancakes) at Harrie’s Pancakes in Graskop
Visit the Giant Baobab tree also known as the Glencoe Baobab near Hoedspruit. It is said that the tree is over 2000 years old. There is a small restaurant on the property, they also serve wonderful pannekoek.
There are many ways to experience a safari in South Africa with your family if you prefer not to drive yourself.
Fly to the Nelspruit area (airport code MQP, saves a 4-5 hour drive each way) and arrange a multi-day private safari to Kruger National Park with my friend, South African tour guide, Mornay of Tours-de-Mornay. or for a private safari experience with Tours-de-Mornay. Stay at Berg en Dal, Pretorioskop, Lower Sabie, or Skukuza. If your time is limited, you could make a 1-night and 2-day trip to Kruger work.
Book a safari in a private game reserve. Fly to the Hoedspruit/Eastgate airport (airport code HDS) in the Greater Kruger National Park area, for the Sabi Sands, Timbavati, Kapama, Klasserie, Manyeleti, and Balule Nature Reserve safari lodges. Have the lodge arrange a transfer service for you. I recommend Toro Yaka in Balule, Elephant Plains or Nkorho in Sabi Sands, Shindzela in Timbavati or Buffelshoek in Manyeleti.
Arrange a transfer service (Ashton tours or Tours-de-Mornay) from Johannesburg or Nelspruit ]to Kruger National Park. Book your game drives, and walking safaris with Kruger National Park.
The first time I visited Cape Town, South Africa in December 2012 I heard about a street art tour in Woodstock while staying at The Backpack. Unfortunately I didn’t find time on my schedule for a visit.
Over the last 2 years I’ve seen some of the amazing street art pop up on my Instagram feed by some of my Cape Town Instagrammer friends. Fast forward to my 4th visit to the Mother City this past November (2014) and I just had to get there and see it for myself.
While you can certainly visit Woodstock yourself as I did, I highly recommend taking a street art tour especially if it’s your first time to the city to learn more about the history and the art. You can plan for a visit to the nearby Old Biscuit Mill and make a day of it in this interesting neighbourhood.
Here are some of my favourite murals in Woodstock that I captured with my iPhone.
Woodstock Street Art, a Cape Town, South Africa neighbourhood.
Save Our Rhinos – Woodstock Street Art, a Cape Town, South Africa neighbourhood.
When I was in Senegal, I took Djembe (African drumming) lessons. I learned from a master Djembefola that the djembe was used to communicate between villages in Senegal and West Africa where it is said the djembe originated. It would signal illness, death and celebrations such as marriage and birth. This is my ode to the tradition and a way to celebrate the upcoming birth of the woman’s baby.
Woodstock Street Art, a Cape Town, South Africa neighbourhood.
Street Art in the Woodstock area of Cape Town, South Africa.
Street Art in the Woodstock area of Cape Town, South Africa.
Street Art in the Woodstock area of Cape Town, South Africa.
Street Art in the Woodstock area of Cape Town, South Africa.
Street Art in the Woodstock area of Cape Town, South Africa.
Street Art in the Woodstock area of Cape Town, South Africa.
Street Art in the Woodstock area of Cape Town, South Africa.
It’s been a great travel year for me and I am grateful for the opportunities, new friends, old friends and for a family that supports me.
In 2014 I returned to a country I love – South Africa, not once but twice! I visited in May and my dad came along. I also returned in November and my family (husband, 4yo & 9yo sons) came with! My dad joined us a week later. My visits to South Africa are always so inspiring and wonderful and never long enough.
St. James Beach – Cape Town, South Africa May 2014. This image was chosen to appear in Pocket Vistas, a Mobile Photography exhibition of Landscape, Nature & Wildlife.
My sons & penguins at Boulder’s Beach in Cape Town, South Africa November 2014.
My son checking out the view at Boulder’s Beach May 2014. Both my boys enjoyed seeing the penguins and playing in the water. Cape Town, South Africa.
Street art in Woodstock. Cape Town, South Africa November 2014.
Zebra in Black and White. Taken with my Olympus em1 mirrorless camera & M.Zuiko 40-150mm 2.8 pro lens while on safari in South Africa with Naledi Enkoveni December 2014.
Bird silhouettes against a South African sunset. Taken with my Olympus em1 & 40-150mm 2.8 pro lens while on safari with Naledi Enkoveni December 2014.
The reason for my return to South Africa was because of a women’s mobile photography development initiative I founded and started there in November 2013, The Heart of a Woman Project. I visited in May to launch phase 2 and my father came with to meet the ladies and offer some help. I returned once more in November to celebrate our 1st anniversary with an exhibition and cultural celebration and was very happy to have my husband & 2 sons (9 & 4) with me.
The Heart of a Woman Project South Africa #thoawSA May 2014.
An inaugural #instameetEKASI in Khayelitsha with Instagramers Cape Town and the ladies from thoawSA June 1, 2014. Photo by Ockie Fourie.
My 4 yo son learning isiXhosa games from the kids in the eKhaya eKasi community. We spent 6 days there in November 2014. They played with the kids while I taught the ladies and they can’t wait to return.
On the way to South Africa, we had an overnight layover in London, England. Mostly we stayed near the airport in hopes that my sons would adjust a bit to the time difference so they could handle the further 2 hour difference between GMT and SAST. It seemed to work and they adjusted well. It also helped to avoid 2 back to back overnight flights. We took off to Windsor before checking in for our flight. Windsor was about 25 minutes from Heathrow, it’s a quaint town and a good layover visit. We saw Windsor Castle from the outside only and had lunch in a local pub. It was my son’s 1st visit to Europe, we’ll have to go back for a proper one.
My sons in front of Windsor Castle, a layover stop before our flight to South Africa November 2014.
Gemma, Andrea, Kelly & Mariellen of WeGoSolo at Women’s Travel Fest in New York, NY March 2014.
I went to New York City in March for the Women’s Travel Fest and again in October for National Geographic Traveler’s seminar on Storytelling Photography with Ami Vitale and Melissa Farlow, two well respected National Geographic photographers. I’ve been a professional photographer since 2003 and have been following Ami’s incredible work since that time. It was great to meet her in person and to learn from her.
New York is a great city for solo travel and I love to see a show on broadway, discover a restaurant and observe what’s happening around the city. While walking back to my hotel after seeing a show on Broadway, I came across this scene in Times Square. At first it was just this young man with his sign and then this half dressed man came by and started dancing, things got interesting.
Only in New York City? October 2014.
I am also grateful to have been able to get in a short visit but with quality time with dear friends in Vancouver (my home away from home) and Saskatoon in Canada in April.
Dundarave Beach in West Vancouver April 2014
Saskatoon, Canada April 2014.
Between all the travel both solo and with family, I also managed to visit some our family favourites nearer to home – Niagara Falls in February and June and the Kawartha Lakes in August.
The American Falls as seen from the Canadian side. Visited Niagara Falls with the family on Family Day February 2014.
My oldest son enjoying the view in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario at a cottage we rented for a week August 2014.
Sons enjoying a ride on the Skywheel in Niagara Falls June 2014. We had an overnight there shortly after I returned from South Africa.
Lastly, I added 2 new cities to my travels, Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico in July. I was in Santa Fe for the International Folk Art Market that hosts artisans from around the world. From their website – “Celebrates the humanity of the handmade that empowers communities through monumental earnings.”
There were so many talented artists with their incredible handmade work. It was like travelling around the world in a day. The highlights were visiting the artists and learning more about the work from Myanmar (Burma), South Africa and Haiti. I met a man and his family that represents the last 30 puppeteers of Myanmar. It’s a dying tradition that dates back 600 years. You can read about it here.
Fabrics from Myanmar at IFAM July 2014 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Baskets made of telephone wire in South Africa at IFAM July 2014 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Art from Haiti, with a strong belief in voodoo at IFAM July 2014 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
I also got a chance to drive a bit of Route 66 in Albuquerque.
Route 66 – Albuquerque, New Mexico July 2014.
Route 66 – Albuquerque, New Mexico July 2014.
It’s been great to go through my photos of the last year and relive some memories. I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing some images from the destinations I visited in 2014.
Sharing 2 quotes I love and perfect for starting the new year –
Wishing you new beginnings, magic, dreams and safe travels in 2015, the best is yet to come!
I first travelled to Cape Town in December 2012. I visited 3 inspiring development projects in Khayelitsha while on tour with James Fernie and his responsible tourism company, Uthando South Africa. It was our first stop at eKhaya eKasi Art & Education Centre that made the most impact. I wrote about that experience in Finding Ubuntu in Cape Town, South Africa.
The view from the eKhaya eKasi rooftop – December 10, 2012
The Women’s Skills Development (WSD) program teaches residents, mostly unemployed mothers, skills in beadwork and printing t-shirts for local businesses as well as crafts. eKhaya eKasi’s model of education and empowerment through the arts inspired me, and as a professional photographer, woman and mother, it spoke to me. I learned of the many issues women in the townships are faced with such as domestic violence, unemployment, HIV/AIDS and alcoholism and formulated ideas of how I could help with photography.
After a conversation with the centre’s director when I returned home to Canada, I began to research to find out more about the centre. I noticed that the photography section of their online shop was empty so I brainstormed ideas of how best to serve them using my photography experience of 10 years.
It wasn’t until May 2013 when a contest, G Project by G Adventures and Planeterra, made an open call for ideas that could make a difference, asking “what will you do today for tomorrow?” that I gave it more serious thought and put together a plan. The heART of a Woman Project (thoaw) was born. I entered the contest, and though I didn’t win, I committed myself to see the project to fruition. I knew that even if I travelled there with my own 2 iPhones and my own money, it would make a difference. I believe in the idea that anyone could make a difference and Lao Tzu’s philosophy “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
I had always lugged around my DSLR on my travels, but I felt it was cumbersome. When the iPhone was released in Canada in July 2008, I jumped right in. I was 5 years into my photography business, slowly burning out and losing passion for photography.
With the iPhone, the camera that is always with me, I began to photograph daily life. Instead of photographing only poses and occasions like birthdays and holidays, I captured moments and ‘ordinary days’. I employed everything I knew about photography but experimented even more. The iPhone restored my passion for photography again, and I was more creative than ever.
My son in Aug. 2008, taken with an iPhone 3G… he’s dancing, a framed print in my home.
In March 2011, during a milestone birthday trip to London and Paris, my DSLR remained in my hotel room the entire time. I loved the results with my iPhone 4 and the Hipstamatic app, even from a moving bus and through windows. After I returned home, I put together a photo book of that trip that I made in iPhoto. When I received it, I excitedly raced through the photos in the book and KNEW that mobile photography had arrived.
I have since upgraded to an iPhone 4s and 5s and created another photo book after my travels to Senegal and South Africa in December 2012. With the advances in technology and apps, I knew the potential of the iPhone and how so much could be achieved with just one device. From creating the image to post-processing to sharing on social media to printing through apps that specialize in mobile camera photo products. The learning curve is easier, the phone is mobile and unobtrusive and the costs affordable with used donated devices. People are always upgrading their iPhones. I know this because 2 of mine are now in Khayelitsha!
With the help of fiscal donors through crowdfunding on Indiegogo, some sponsors, travel and mobile photography bloggers spreading the word and 11 donated used iPhones, I returned to eKhaya eKasi. I taught an 11-day workshop in photography and social media (Instagram, Twitter and Facebook) to 9 unemployed women, mostly mothers, from Khayelitsha, South Africa, a township just 40 minutes from the Cape Town city centre from November 15-29, 2013. The women also learned basic computer skills and used Google for the first time.
For 2 days the women photographed life in Khayelitsha through their eyes. I went through all the images (3000+) and post-processed 1 from each woman. I had 200 postcards printed for each woman and presented the postcards to them at the end of the 11 days together so they could begin sales immediately. The purpose of the project was multi-dimensional. One of the primary goals was to pass on my skills in photography to the women so they could generate some income through postcard sales at eKhaya eKasi as they already had a foundation for tourism at the centre. The other goal and perhaps the most important one was so the women would have access to the Internet and social media so they may share what they do and bring attention to the centre and their work. Through sharing the events at the centre they could encourage more visitors and thus potential sales not only of postcards but all their products and services. The last goal was to offer a way for the women to tell their stories in their own photos and words. Really, the possibilities are endless if they continue to develop their skills.
Postcards and prints are available in our shop online. Profits from each purchase support the women’s path to sustainable income as they are paid their price. The remainder is reinvested into Project South Africa. The goal is for the women and the program to be completely self-sustainable not only in photography, post-processing and producing products but also financially as well as they run their own small businesses.
Esther & Veliswa learning ‘pinching’
Yolanda Nkatula and Aviwe Dalingozi photograph the mural on a shipping container, home to Mama Blessing Hair Salon in Khayelitsha.
Veliswa Wowo, a married mother of 4 and a founding member of The Heart of a Woman Project in South Africa photographs live chickens in Khayelitsha.
The series 1.0 postcards – The heART of a Woman Project #thoawSA
Esther & Veliswa learning ‘pinching.’
The ladies photographing in Khayelitsha, South Africa
Yolanda photographing in Khayelitsha, South Africa
Retsepile photographing in Khayelitsha, South Africa
On November 30th, we received the postcards from the printer at our braai (barbecue) and sales began immediately. One woman shared that she was able to give her son some money so he could take the train to look for a job, another shared she gave some to her grandmother, and another said she was able to buy shoes. The postcards are continuing to sell at eKhaya eKasi where they welcome tourists.
Signed postcards to donors and buyers
The series 1.0 postcards – The heART of a Woman Project #thoawSA
Aviwe and her postcards
There were so many memorable moments during my time with the women – touring Cape Town, the beautiful sunset we experienced on Signal Hill as we looked out to the ocean and Robben Island, the ride up to Table Mountain, the drive around the Cape Peninsula, seeing the movie Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom together, walking around the township and the braai.
The heART of a Woman Project Mobile Photographers on Signal Hill #thoawSA
Some of the moments that will stay with me for a long time were the “in between times”, the meals together and just driving around in the combi (van) as we travelled from place to place.
I really tried to be mindful of my experience and take it all in. I felt privileged to be with the ladies of #thoawSA and to be immersed in such a way.
Aviwe, Esther & Yolanda travelling in the combi (van).
One of the moments I remember was when we were going back to the centre after 2 days of documenting township life, the energy felt high even though we had spent much of the time photographing in light rain. As the kwaito music played, some of the women danced in their seats while others chatted away in isiXhosa. Their smiles could light a room, and the laughter that filled the van was infectious. At times I had no idea what they were laughing about, but I laughed along with them. I remember looking out the window and as the flurry of activity flew by me – the people, the homes, the colourful shops, the playful children and the cows that roamed, I recall feeling grateful.
I felt grateful to be experiencing it cozily in between the 9 women that joined me in the back of the van and on this journey. I felt proud of what we had accomplished in such a short time together. I could sense that this was something special. In some ways, it felt like just an ordinary day, though I know that all of my days with them were extraordinary ones and part of a time I will not soon forget.
The heART of a Woman Project Mobile Photographers on Table Mountain #thoawSA
I’ve been a professional photographer since 2003 and am the founder of The heART of a Woman Project (thoaw). THOAW is committed to providing education, on-going guidance and support to Project heART South Africa (thoawSA) to help the women achieve sustainability to support themselves, their children and their community at eKhaya eKasi which serves over 400 residents.
I tried to stop the tears that welled in my eyes from flowing, but they escaped, and I could no longer control them. I didn’t want to look like a fool on that small passenger plane from Johannesburg. The African wilderness was somewhere I had always wanted to experience, but it seemed like somewhere that only existed in my dreams, in the pages of National Geographic and on television.
As we flew over the northeast area of South Africa, memories of Sunday evenings on the sofa with my dad and Gran came to mind. As a child, I watched the Wild Kingdom and the television shows that featured the wildlife of Africa.
I saw mountains and valleys below and imagined the people that lived there and the animals that roamed amongst it. As we approached the Hoedspruit airport and flew closer to the ground, I looked for elephants and giraffes amongst the trees I saw below, but couldn’t see anything but dark green patches that dotted the ground. As we descended into the vast expanse that is the greater Kruger National Park, a feeling washed over me like none other, and I started to cry.
I worried that my cry would quickly become audible, so I worked hard at keeping it silent. Had I been alone, it would have been one of those cries that feel like you had been cleansed inside and had no more tears to cry, devoid of further emotion. I never had, in all my travels, felt like that before.
I went to South Africa with the intention of learning more about it and its people, enjoying beautiful scenery, stalking wild animals and by stalking I mean going on a game drive to admire animals in their natural habitats and having new experiences. I came back having fulfilled all of those things, but what I didn’t expect was feeling like I was somehow home.
It’s been almost 6 months since I was there and I still feel like I am trying to process it all. I write, ponder, leave the blog, look at my photos and come back to this unfinished post many times over.
I wanted to so perfectly describe the feeling I had and to perhaps make sense of it but have resigned to the fact that I don’t think I really can. Nonetheless, I wanted to share my experience. I will chalk it up to one of those profound experiences in my life that can’t be fully explained.
Flying over the Blyde River Canyon in South Africa, approaching Hoedspruit in the Limpopo province.
The little plane that took me to where my dreams came true
Update: In the last year (about 2 years since I first visited South Africa) learned that my paternal great-great-grandfather is buried in a cemetery near Johannesburg. I had no idea that any of my family had been to South Africa. I’ve since learned his history and that I have other relatives buried there as well and have relatives that are still in South Africa.
