The Wild Coast

Week 6-Cultural

The Wild Coast region is aptly named: this is one of South Africa’s most unspoilt areas, a vast stretch of undulating hills, lush forest and spectacular beaches skirting a section of the Indian Ocean.  Its undeveloped sandy beaches stretch hundreds of miles, punctuated by rivers and several wonderful locations to experience some of South Africa’s beautiful landscape and coastline.  The wildness goes beyond the landscape, for this is the former Transkei homeland, a desperately poor region that was disenfranchised during apartheid and turned into a ‘dumping ground’ for Africans too old or too young for South African industry to make use of.

 The Wild coast region’s inhabitants are predominantly Xhosa, and those in rural areas live mostly in traditional rondavels dotting the landscape for as far as the eye can see.  We passed through the old Transkei capital Mthatha and a host of scruffy, busy little towns along the way, to the coastal region found beyond the Mtamvuna River. Reid (2010) describes this area as having some of the most deserted undeveloped beaches, hidden reefs, and subtropical forests in the country.

As mentioned in my previous blog we travelled in a white Suzuki 4x4 as the region cannot be toured easily by car.  There’s no costal road, and no direct route between one resort to the next.  Yet I agree with Pinchuck (2009) in this remoteness lies the regions charm.

The village of Hole in the Wall gets its name from the large cliff that juts out of the sea were a short distance from the Mpako River Mouth.  The cliff has a tunnel at its base through which huge waves pound during heavy seas, making a great crashing sound.  Of course Paddy could not resist trying these waves out for himself and as you can see from the photos it wasn’t as bad as we thought!

The local community see us as visiting tourists as a potential opportunity to make as much money from us as possible.  They sell many forms of jewellery made from the shells and stones found at the nearest beach and hand craft these to tempt the goading tourist.  On Friday by accident we acquired the tour guide services from a local teenager whose name was Aaron.  He was quite persistent in wanting to guide us on a trek to see the ‘Little Hole in the Wall.’

 

We all were intrigued to find out why our tour guide was not in school as this was a school day.  He told us like many children of his age he believed that his time should be spent making money from tourists rather than be educated in the local school.  It saddens me to think that parents here do not encourage their children to go to school to receive an education that can ultimately further prevent the past from reoccurring.  More needs to be done in relation to educating Aarons generation of the benefits they can have in obtaining an education to give them the necessary life skills in which are needed to adapt and survive in the modern world.

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to learn how to begin to surf.  I thought that I needed to get involved and give surfing a chance as it is one of the most talked about pastimes and highlights of South African culture.  Needless to say I had a very patient teacher who despite my frustrations persisted in getting me to stand on the surf board.   Although I only stood for several seconds I believed this to be good step in the right direction. Further, I was quite pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed my first real surfing encounter and will definitely persist in developing my abilities.

 On Sunday we made the long 8 hour drive back to Port Elizabeth.  We had a fantastic trip experiencing and learning a little more about the diverse culture and surroundings found in the rainbow nation.  One element I have forgotten to highlight concerns that of food!  It is important to note to anyone who wishes to travel to the Transkei area they will be delighted to here they can visit the pizzeria situated on the hills of coffee bay overlooking the small village  and taste the best pizza around.  We ate here several times throughout our time here and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys good food!

Tuesday saw the continutation of our observation days in Cape Recife Special School which we both  thoroughly enjoyed.  The school has welcomed us with open arms and I can safely say we will be able to gain experience and develop as student teachers in the time we spend at the school.  During my lunch break several of the teachers were interested to hear the differences found in the provision for special education in Northern Ireland.  Using the knowledge and understanding that I obtained from studying a module (Managing differences in the primary school) concerning this particular area in Semester one at Stranmillis, I was able to explain and discuss with the staff the changes and moves being made within Special Education in Northern Ireland and indeed the UK at large.  They were surprised to learn about the level of provision and investment being made for children with special needs and it was evident yet again at the tremendous cultural gap between our two countries. 

I’m sure next week I will have many more interesting stories to tell and plenty of memories to share with you.

Until next time,

“Baai” (bye)

Callum.