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About the Office of Women in Development
Cape Action Tours, an organization run by former Umkhonto we Sizwe freedom fighters. In addition, we will visit museums and places of worship, sites of scenic beauty such as Table Mountain, the vineyard region, Cape Point and the most southern tip of Africa. We will also have some occasions to spend free time relaxing on the beaches.
For the Third and Fourth Weeks of the course we will fly more than 1400 miles northeast to the Johannesburg area, the major economic center of the country. Johannesburg is a city of approximately 650,000 people. Equally important to this region is the associated 'black city' of Soweto (520,000) and Pretoria (450,000) (elevation 4100 ft), seat of the executive branch of the government and national capital. We will be living in Pretoria and touring both the three cities and the outlying rural areas frequently by bus.
While in the Johannesburg/Pretoria area, we will explore additional features of the history and cultural diversity of South Africa. We will learn more about the Afrikaners who trekked to this northeast region after the British took control of the Cape Colony, and we will study the social impact of the region's gold mining industry. We will have contacts with minority groups such as South Africa Jews ( 60% of whom live in the Johannesburg area) and study the distinctive identity and political ambitions of Zulu, Sotho and other peoples. There will be opportunities to discover the novel features of the African Independent Churches, meet with various church leaders, and learn about the survival of tribal religious practices among the local people. We will also visit various organizations which will help us understand the problems and prospects of the new multi-racial, democratic social order being implemented in the country.
At the end, we will visit a National Park, 'on safari,' to see the unique wildlife of southern Africa. We will also probably relax a bit at Sun City/Lost City, a famous resort attraction in Northern Province.
Although students will have some leisure time to explore on their own, this is very much a group experience. Attendance at all scheduled events will be expected, and students' primary interest should be in the subject matter of the course. Individuals must be willing to cooperate with the group as a whole and need to be very sensitive to the different ways in which the foreign cultures we encounter function.
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