The farm workers live near where they work, in huts either close to the banana fields or the cane fields. The daily cycle is: eat, work, sleep. HIV rates soar in this . . . → Read More: “Dancing farm worker” Photo by Rudy Lopez]]>

A Zulu woman breaks into dance during her shift at a small banana plantation in Monzi, South Africa in 2005.

The farm workers live near where they work, in huts either close to the banana fields or the cane fields. The daily cycle is: eat, work, sleep. HIV rates soar in this part of South Africa, and life can be very difficult, but I was struck by how many scenes like this I encountered. I left Africa knowing that people are capable of experiencing joy even in an crushing atmosphere of despair. It re-calibrated the tolerance levels for the challenges in my own life.