This morning started with breakfast at the retreat center and then we hopped onto the bus with our tour guide Enrico to head to South Peninsula High School. We got to know some of the students before giving them a bit of a performance. A couple brave students came up to dance with us and some even sang along! As with most South African crowds, this one was extremely gracious and welcoming.
After saying goodbye to some new friends, we drove into the heart of the city. We got out to walk around and get a closer look at some of the sights we’d seen from the bus the day before. We saw City Hall, including a statue of Nelson Mandela on the balcony, and stopped by local coffee chain Truth (rated the best coffee in the world by the Times and the Guardian). The walk ended at the South African Jewish Museum, where we soaked in the sun for a while before beginning our guided tour of the museum. Our tour guide Roz told us the story of the first Jewish immigrants from Lithuania as we walked through the first Cape Townian synagogue- original flooring and all! The SAJM was a museum full of stories of community, immigration, and the preservation of the culture of Lithuanian Jewish Life.
After we had some lunch, an impromptu performance began in the synagogue. We performed for students and Nomzano High School who happened to be on a school trip to the museum. This ended up being one of the most magical moments of the trip so far. We sang a few American Protest Songs and then launched into Shosholoza which surprised our audience and got the whole room on their feet singing and stomping along. We then performed Dnasi Ponono which got everyone dancing. As we were leaving we all jumped in a big group picture.
As we left the South African Jewish Museum to the sounds of Nomzano High School’s continued singing, we made our way back into town on foot. We stopped by the cathedral which heads the South African Angelican Church and houses the remnants of Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu as well as the largest piece of stained glass artwork in the Southern Hemisphere.
From there we explored the Iziko Slave Lodge in the heart of the city which tells the story of slavery in the Cape and pays its respect to ongoing human rights issues. We performed a quick rendition of Senzenina and then headed back to the bus and retreat center where we had dinner and some much needed relaxation playing cards and other games before bed.
Filip was selected as singer of the day!