The fundamentals of the two

characters who I will discuss in

this essay are both motivated by
their
impoverished backgrounds to
carry out their aspirations. Layla
and Fuzile take different
approaches
to reaching their dreams. Layla
has a scepticism about her
lived environment and its ability
to
contribute to her aspirations.
Fataar (2007) refers to her
developing a thin connectedness
with her
environment as she’s reluctant to
cultivate a relationship with her
environment. Fuzile on the other
hand, moves through several
geographical spaces, townships
and suburban areas and uses these
environments to his ability by
cultivating a humility and
understanding of his
environments. He uses
it to his benefit by
accumulating knowledge
irrespective of the townships
ability to contribute
towards his aspirations. Fataar
(2010) refers to him
developing a thick
connectedness with his
environment. In this essay I will
discuss the nature and extent of
Layla’s translocality and Fuzile
Ali’s
self-formation which enables
them to build viable pathways to
their dreams. Thereafter I will
include
my opinion about the two
learners’ different pathways to
success.
The Apartheid government’s key
aspiration was to promote racial
discrimination and segregation.
This aspiration has created a
societal belief that stipulates, in
order for black and coloured
youth
bodies to achieve success, they
are objected to navigate through
several geographical spaces and
adopt different personality
formations to reach quality
education. These non-white youth
bodies
attend formerly white dominated
schools and religious schools
based on the belief that it
“cultivates
the necessary aspirant
dispositions that will allow entry
into formal middle-class
employment and
lifestyle.” (Fataar, 2007).
Furthermore, black and
coloured families extend this
belief system
promoting translocation to former
white schools in order to access
quality education by viewing
township schools as repelling and
anti-aspirational. They view city
schools as “secure and safe, with
an environment free from
contamination of recalcitrant
peer association.” (Fataar, 2010).
These
families view township schools
as inferior, subsidiary and
unsatisfactory oppose to the
superior
education provided at former
white and religious schools.
Society has created a notion that,
in order
to improve one’s life chance,
success depends on the status quo
and geographic location of the
selected school. This deems true
as there is no shame in wanting
the best for one’s child. However,
quality education and life chance
should not depend on the
geography of a school or its ratio
of
white learners and staff but rather
on the competence, subject
matter, and pedagogical
knowledge
of the school staff and how the
school values the education of its
learners
motivated by their impoverished backgrounds to carry out their aspirations, I was sceptical about my
lived environment and its ability to contribute to my aspirations. The Apartheid government’s key
aspiration was to promote racial discrimination and segregation. This aspiration has created a
societal belief that stipulates, in order for black and coloured youth bodies to achieve success, they
are objected to navigate through several geographical spaces and adopt different personality
formations to reach quality education. These learners bodies attend former white based on the
belief that it “cultivates the necessary aspirant dispositions that will allow entry into formal middle-
class employment and lifestyle.” (Fataar, 2007). Furthermore, black and coloured families
extend this belief system promoting translocation to former white schools in order to access
quality education by viewing township schools as repelling and anti-aspirational. They view city
schools as “secure and safe, with an environment free from contamination of recalcitrant
peer association.” (Fataar, 2010). These families view township schools as inferior, subsidiary and
unsatisfactory oppose to the superior education provided at former white and religious schools.
Society has created a notion that, in order to improve one’s life chance, success depends on the
status quo and geographic location of the selected school. This deems true as there is no shame in
wanting the best for one’s child. However, quality education and life chance should not depend on
the geography of a school or its ratio of white learners and staff but rather on the competence,
subject matter, and pedagogical knowledge of the school staff and how the school values the
education of its learners

The government implemented measures to address disparities in education. This included policies to
improve access to quality education for all, especially for previously disadvantaged communities.
Efforts were made to equalize resources, increase funding, and promote inclusive education. while
progress has been made, there are still ongoing challenges in addressing the deep-rooted legacies of
apartheid. In this essay, I aim to explore the nature and extent of my translocality, which played a
crucial role in paving viable pathways toward my goals, particularly through the pursuit of quality
education.

The nature of Layla’s

translocality and Fuzile Ali’s self-
formation is prompt by their
aspiration to
achieve success. Appadurai
suggest that “aspirations area unit
fashioned in interaction and
within
the thickness of social life that
they're a part of wider moral and
metaphysical ideas that derive
from
cultural norms. (Appadurai,
2004). Due to Layla and Fuzile’s
current impoverished townships
inability
to contribute to their aspirations,
motivated Layla’s translocality
and Fuzile Ali’s spatial agency in
search of an environment that can
attribute to their aspirations.
Regarding Layla’s experience
with Rustvale, she associates the
area’s schools with low
achievements.
Fataar, regards the competence
and disposition thereof as
“characterised by one-
dimensional
identities mired in the social
welfare difficulties conferred
on them and their students
by the
township’s living conditions.”
(Fataar, 2007). Followed by
Layla’s own educational
experience with the
Primary school characterised as a
[lack of interest in being the best
for their kids.] This deems as her
fundamental stimulus to
translocate in order to access
quality education. Fataar
refers to this
translocality as a conceptual
approach which is “an attempt to
accord constitutive power and
agency
to young people as they move
across space to maximise their
life chances in spite of, or
perhaps
because of, the ephemeral
circumstances of their places
of living.” (Fataar, 2017).
Due to the
impoverished quality of
education, the schools lack to act
within the best interest of the
learner and
fiduciary duty to care, Layla
opted to translocate to a
school where she felt
attribute to her
aspirations.
The nature of Fuzile Ali’s self-
formation lies within his
negotiation and evaluation of
environments,
lived experiences, impact of
poverty, constant change of
domestic environments,
multilingualism and
uneven educational
experiences. This resulted in
Fuzile cultivating a visible
and commanding
presence with an assertiveness
and agency to achieve his
aspirations. The constant
geographical
change of environments was
harmful to his educational
aspirations but Fuzile did not
allow it to
falter his determination to achieve
success. Fuzile considered Cape
Town as the spatial location
which could attribute to his
aspirations contrary to his rural
environment in the Eastern Cape
were
education was not valued. Living
in an array of domestic
environments has cultivated a
style of self
with reference to different social
groups and networks. Nuttall
(2008) defines this as morphing
which refers to the accumulation
of knowledge of different cultural
practices through different time
periods and places. Irrespective
of the domestic and
environmental difficulties Fuzile
encountered,
his constant relocation to
different geographical locations,
enabled him to successfully
navigate
The nature of Layla’s
translocality and Fuzile Ali’s self-
formation is prompt by their
aspiration to
achieve success. Appadurai
suggest that “aspirations area unit
fashioned in interaction and
within
the thickness of social life that
they're a part of wider moral and
metaphysical ideas that derive
from
cultural norms. (Appadurai,
2004). Due to Layla and Fuzile’s
current impoverished townships
inability
to contribute to their aspirations,
motivated Layla’s translocality
and Fuzile Ali’s spatial agency in
search of an environment that can
attribute to their aspirations.
Regarding Layla’s experience
with Rustvale, she associates the
area’s schools with low
achievements.
Fataar, regards the competence
and disposition thereof as
“characterised by one-
dimensional
identities mired in the social
welfare difficulties conferred
on them and their students
by the
township’s living conditions.”
(Fataar, 2007). Followed by
Layla’s own educational
experience with the
Primary school characterised as a
[lack of interest in being the best
for their kids.] This deems as her
fundamental stimulus to
translocate in order to access
quality education. Fataar
refers to this
translocality as a conceptual
approach which is “an attempt to
accord constitutive power and
agency
to young people as they move
across space to maximise their
life chances in spite of, or
perhaps
because of, the ephemeral
circumstances of their places
of living.” (Fataar, 2017).
Due to the
impoverished quality of
education, the schools lack to act
within the best interest of the
learner and
fiduciary duty to care, Layla
opted to translocate to a
school where she felt
attribute to her
aspirations.
The nature of Fuzile Ali’s self-
formation lies within his
negotiation and evaluation of
environments,
lived experiences, impact of
poverty, constant change of
domestic environments,
multilingualism and
uneven educational
experiences. This resulted in
Fuzile cultivating a visible
and commanding
presence with an assertiveness
and agency to achieve his
aspirations. The constant
geographical
change of environments was
harmful to his educational
aspirations but Fuzile did not
allow it to
falter his determination to achieve
success. Fuzile considered Cape
Town as the spatial location
which could attribute to his
aspirations contrary to his rural
environment in the Eastern Cape
where
education was not valued. Living
in an array of domestic
environments has cultivated a
style of self
with reference to different social
groups and networks. Nuttall
(2008) defines this as morphing
which refers to the accumulation
of knowledge of different cultural
practices through different time
periods and places. Irrespective
of the domestic and
environmental difficulties Fuzile
encountered,
his constant relocation to
different geographical locations,
enabled him to successfully
navigate
Due to my impoverished village inability to contribute to my aspirations, motivated Layla’s
translocality spatial agency in search of an environment that can attribute to my aspirations.
Regarding my experience with KwaYanguye, I associates the area’s schools with low achievements.
Fataar, regards the competence and disposition thereof as “characterised by one-
dimensional identities mired in the social welfare difficulties conferred on them and
their students by the township’s living conditions.” (Fataar, 2007). Followed my educational
experience with the Mcakwini Primary school of which I deemed as my fundamental stimulus to
translocate in order to access a better education. Fataar refers to this translocality as a
conceptual approach which is “an attempt to accord constitutive power and agency to young people
as they move across space to maximise their life chances in spite of, or perhaps because of, the
ephemeral circumstances of their places of living.” (Fataar, 2017). Due to the
impoverished quality of education, the school’s lack to act within the best interest of the learner and
fiduciary duty to care, I opted to translocate to a school where she felt attribute to
her aspirations.

The extent of my translocality required me to adjust and adopt flexible personas which functions
within accordance to my geographical spaces. In essence these adopted identities appear
problematic especially during adolescents. This marks as a transition period whereby
teenagers are subjected to an array of emotions and identity issues accompanied with the desire for
social acceptance and inclusion (Spencer et al, 1991) . My translocality required me to embark on a
49 km journey through the city landscape and bodily discipline equipped me with street
literacy. Robinson describes street literacy as a “cognitive process of internalising public space
negotiations whilst simultaneously dimensionalising development by locating it within
environmental contexts.” (Robinson, 2000). The street literacy enabled me to read the environment
in specific ways, and transact strategic and embodied practice and relationships. (Faatar, 2007).
street literacy enabled me to navigate different environments with different acceptable
behaviours and developed a skill of reading these new expectations in each space. (Fataar,
2010). I felt that, the school located within the urban cosmopolitan city would attribute to my
aspirations however that school required us to conform to the social norms of the institution. This
deems as a form of indoctrination, Layla mentions [the girls are constantly reminded not to slouch,
dress properly, walk on the left in twos in public, never get in fights, arguing.] This correlates to
Bernstein’s (1975) visible pedagogy characterised as a strong framing and explicit control over the
relay of educational practices. Although the learners did not explicitly receive lady-like etiquette as a
culturalconform the learners to the social norms and structures of the school and to ensure its status
quo is kept intact.

As above mentioned, My translocality is motivated by her desire to improve her life chance and
achieve her aspirations. She embarks on a daily 45 km (90km in total) to access quality education. I
travels daily from an impoverished community to a conducive environment equip with resources
which can help her to achieve her aspirations. Translocality in this regard refers to My willingness,
persistence and ability to daily navigate through several spaces to reach her desired aspiration and
better her life chances. This simultaneously enables Me to read the environment in specific ways,
and transact strategic and embodied practice and relationships. (Faatar, 2007). This appears as both
the nature and extent of her determination to achieve something of value as an individual coming
from an impoverished environment where the probability of youth life chance is poor. I negotiated
her way through these spaces by evaluating and adjusting the environment accordingly to her hybrid
persona. I has never had any affiliation with the Rustvale community considering herself
as a temporary resident of the community therefore Fataar (2007) states that she developed a
thin connectedness with her lived space. This contrast Layla’s translocality as she already has
preconceived ideas about the environment of Rustvale supported by her claim that, [I wonder if they
even learn there] when asked by the interviewer why she does not attend in Rustvale. This enhances
the prejudice and scepticism Layla has towards her environment and her refrain to engage and
accumulate knowledge from the space.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Fataar, A. 2007. Schooling, youth
adaptation and translocal
citizenship across the post-
apartheid city.
Journal of Education. 1(42), pp.
10-29.
Fataar, A. 2010. Youth self-
formation and the ‘capacity to
aspire’: The itinerant ‘schooled’
career of
Fuzile Ali across post-apartheid
space. Perspective in Education.
28(3), pp. 34-45.
Bernstein, B. 1975. Class and
Pedagogies: Visible and Invisible.
Washington D.C: OECD
Publication
Centre.
Appadurai A 2004. The capacity
to aspire: culture and the terms of
recognition. In: V Rao & M
Walton
(eds). Culture and public action.
California: Stanford University
Press.
Robinson, C. 2000. Creating
space, creating self: street-
frequenting youth in the city and
suburbs.
Journal of Youth Studies, 3(4):
pp.429–443.
Head, B (1971). Maru. (1 ed.).
South Africa: Heinemann
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Fataar, A. 2007. Schooling, youth adaptation and translocal citizenship across the post-apartheid
city. Journal of Education. 1(42), pp. 10-29.

Fataar, A. 2010. Youth self-formation and the ‘capacity to aspire’: The itinerant ‘schooled’ career of
Fuzile Ali across post-apartheid space. Perspective in Education. 28(3), pp. 34-45.

Bernstein, B. 1975. Class and Pedagogies: Visible and Invisible. Washington D.C: OECD Publication
Centre.

Appadurai A 2004. The capacity to aspire: culture and the terms of recognition. In: V Rao & M
Walton (eds). Culture and public action. California: Stanford University Press.

Robinson, C. 2000. Creating space, creating self: street-frequenting youth in the city and suburbs.
Journal of Youth Studies, 3(4): pp.429–443.

Head, B (1971). Maru. (1 ed.). South Africa: Heinemann