2 posts tagged “soweto”
On Thursday this week as I was power pacing through dusty streets Naledi in Soweto past chickens and children with Napoleon, Chairman of the Community Policing Forum, I thought about how interesting my new job is.
On Thursday I helped the Youth Desk of the Naledi Community Policing Forum with an initiative of theirs - to paint house numbers for shacks that have no numbers so that the police and emergency services can find them when they need help.
This was a project all of their own design and I just helped them approach sponsors and get the relevant players on board - and then came to help out with manpower on the actual day.
The first house number was for Constance, who also happened to be wearing a lovely shwe shwe dress. DOuble reason to haul out my camera.
Her dress had the same pattern as the Duro Dress that I made for myself a while ago.
Her dress is quite simple with white ribbon trim on the sleeves, pockets and hem. Constance told me her dress was made by a Zimbabwean women in the community who is too old now to make dresses anymore. Most women like Constance have one or two shwe shwe dresses that they wear for years and years as their primary item of clothing.
I will make sure that I get the photo printed for Constance and take it to her when I go through to Soweto this week.
Walking through temporary housing made of tin is not always the most pleasant thing, but I was so impressed with the Youth Desk and the CPF members that joined us, in the way they interacted with the people. It was also interesting for me to see what personal touches had been added to these dwellings to make them a bit more of a home.
Here, Just because it was such a positive day for me are two more photos.
This is quite a typical picture of the houses that needed house numbers, but this one had the exceptional fruit tree full of blossoms and bees in front of it.
The Police and the Youth Desk working together on more than one thing at a time. Natasha helps the policeman take a phone call while he finishes painting a number on house number 44.
I recently started a new job that has me working in Soweto one or two days a week. The perfect place to see some of the most loved shwe shwe outfits, but as yet have not had the courage to stop my car in the middle of Soweto and address the ladies wearing these. At the intersection where I turn off the main road to get to the police station I am working with, there is even a road side trader with a small gazebo selling traditional clothing, including some great shwe shwe.
