Experiencing Sophiatown

In Experiencing Sophiatown, Sophiatown residents discuss the challenges of getting to know their neighbors—toward whom they often felt isolated and sometimes suspicious—and of making a community that could respond to their needs and concerns. In talking about daily concerns such as resisting crime, earning a living, and raising children, residents reflect on the everyday challenges of making a new South Africa. To these conversations they brought diverse life experiences, along with numerous photographs, many taken by residents themselves, to show and discuss with their neighbors what matters to them about their lives, about what it's like to live in this community in the early 21st century, about legacies from the past, and dreams for the future. Because Sophiatown's concerns are shared so widely, the book aims for residents of other South African communities to recognize the challenges Sophiatown residents describe and hopefully start their own dialogues.