Blue skies today

A band making music in the sun, down by Cape Town’s Waterfront. That’s it really, but if you want to read on please do.

We’ve been to Cape Town a few times now and really like it. However, I do realise that during our visits we have been largely sheltered from the more ‘difficult’ aspects of the city, although we did once make the trip to Robben Island and that was indeed a fascinating and salutary experience. It is such a beautiful city, with a marvellous backdrop of mountains and glorious coastal scenery. There is so much history and such a mix of people. Yet there are lots of areas around the city where you wouldn’t venture, even in daylight. There are sad shanty towns, which are not being replaced fast enough with decent living accommodation for thousands of people.

Poverty and inequality breeds crime and hence there are high levels of security in evidence everywhere - forbidding metal fences, armed guards, CCTV cameras. We are staying in an apartment in an enclosed estate. It is unnerving passing all the guards and locked gates, but it is a paradise. So a dilemma. Does one worry about the undercurrent of inequality and political unrest, which seems to go against one’s political leanings and take Cape Town off the holiday list. Or does one feel slightly uncomfortable, but love the place for its beauty, climate and vibrancy. We choose to do the latter and hope that eventually the time of transition that the country is going through will end positively for all the people. I will return to this later, as we do think about it a lot.

We are a few minutes walk to the Waterfront, with all the colour and life one could want. We spent time there today and and had a lovely lunch by the water. Instead of the obvious views of the Waterfront with the backdrop of Table Mountain, which was today still a bit hazy, I have chosen a picture I liked of a band making great music, entertaining the passers by. I think it picks up the lively atmosphere of the place, with the reflections, not just of the parked cars, but the boats and people, cafes and shops, which make this such a wonderful place to be.

I bought a book today, as I would. It’s an illustrated poem about Cape Town. The illustrations are collages of sketches, photographs and ephemera. The words are written from the heart of someone who has lived all her life in the city. This is about the City Bowl and its relationship with Table Mountain:

her back is a mountain
her arms cradle
she knows
we need extra nurturing
during transition