In a Cape Town district almost untouched by tourism, graffiti culture is helping a new generation find their voice, and travelers are beginning to take note. Tayla Gentle visits the locals taking their township’s image into their own hands.

The township of Langa has always had something of a pioneering spirit. Back in March 1960, at the height of apartheid, a 23-year-old student led over 30,000 protestors through the streets of Cape Town. It was a turning point in South African politics—and it all started in Langa.

One of the country’s oldest townships, Langa was created in 1927 as a place of forced housing for black South Africans and has seen more than its fair share of resistance, massacre and more. But today, this sprawling cluster of brick, tin and timber is home to the voices of a new generation; a place of emerging art, cool homestays and welcoming bars.