South Africa Cultural Diversity, Arts, and Community Service

Learn about South African diversity through the country’s vibrant arts, majestic landscapes, and welcoming communities.

Ahlia Bethea describes her Experiment program in South Africa

Orientation in Cape Town

Located at the tip of southern Africa, Cape Town is your introduction to the Rainbow Nation. Spend your first days learning about South Africa’s cultural diversity, its struggle against apartheid, and its transition to democracy. Journey to Cape Point, home of the African penguin; visit parliament and the old castle; and travel to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison. You also participate in workshops focusing on dance, music, and drumming.

Homestay

Discover the warmth of family life and collective spirit of a Xhosa community during a two-week homestay. Enjoy a traditional South African braai, play soccer with your host siblings, and visit local markets.

Community Service

Work alongside village residents on a community development, education, or public health project designed by local nonprofit and educational service organizations.

Sample service projects: Work with local care workers on a public health project; build benches at an AIDS memorial in a public garden; participate in a project to bring water and sanitation to a rural community.

Grahamstown Arts Festival

Travel to the historic city of Grahamstown to experience the pulsing energy of a world-renowned dance, music, and theater festival. Participate in theater workshops with South African high school students, learn traditional dances, and become part of drumming circles as you embrace the beauty and power of African arts.

An African Adventure and Safari

Travel northward through the Karoo desert region and along the dramatic Drakensberg mountain range. Spend three days on safari in Kruger National Park witnessing elephants, giraffes, hippos, lions, and an enormous diversity of wildlife in their natural surroundings. Complete your adventure with a visit to Johannesburg, and conclude your exploration of the “freedom trail” from apartheid to contemporary South Africa.