During my first few weeks in South Africa, I went to Cape Town to collect my QPSW car, as the previous Quaker Peace Worker had been based there.

In an unexpected change of plans, I stayed for two weeks to help with a large workshop. I learned a lot from this, and it gave me a chance to to see more of the area, before I returned to Johannesburg.

The 'Youth Peace Academy' I helped facilitate was a week long event for around two hundred young people from different parts of South Africa, organised by the Quaker Peace Centre, Peace Jam Foundation, and the Institute for the Healing of Memories.

We explored issues around good citizenship, and did some practical work cleaning rubbish in Masiphumelele, a township on the Cape Flats.

 

 

our skilled and dedicated team of facilitators, working flat out as you can see!

Although Cape Town has beautiful areas, I find it a hard place to enjoy — in part because I heard and learnt so much about the inequality and violence, kept out of sight, in my first few weeks there.

In some ways, this was a perfect introduction to South Africa.