After a pandemic-induced hiatus of three years, the Department of International Education has relaunched its study tour to Cape Town with the same success it enjoyed in the four years prior to 2020. The study tour has two themes. The first focuses on the political and economic history of the country, from colonialism and slavery through Apartheid to contemporary democracy, and asks why the society looks as unequal as it ever did. The second focuses on the biodiversity of the Cape floral kingdom and the natural beauty of the region. The two themes intersect in the question of how to alleviate poverty without destroying the fragile natural environment. Students accordingly visited a number of historical sites in and around the city, including Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent most of his 27 years in prison. Students also enjoyed some of Cape Town’s natural beauty: climbing both Table Mountain and Lion’s Head, and visiting the Cape Point Nature Reserve at the south-western tip of Africa, and a colony of African penguins nearby. Particularly special was a safari on a nearby game reserve, where a pride of lions was the highlight among sightings of elephants, hippos, giraffes, zebras and antelope. Students also visited the University of Cape Town on the slopes of Table Mountain, and the University of Stellenbosch in the centre of a wine-growing region outside Cape Town.
