Last Saturday, a colleague from Amazwi and I were invited to the graduation ceremony for a Sotho initiation school. During initiation school, children are separated from their parents for 3 months in order to learn skills they will need as adults of their tribe. Although the schools themselves are very controversial and some parents refuse to send their kids, on graduation day, the whole village celebrates the return of the initiates.
The mood was buoyant, and everyone wanted portraits in their graduation attire. I obliged, but I shared my camera with Simphiwe, the 8 year-old daughter an Amazwi staff member. Although her English is very limited, we communicated through gentle tugs and pushes. I nudged her to get closer to her subjects, and then saw that she was getting so close that I had to set the lens to macro. She would walk directly up to a girl her age without saying anything and compose her shot with the camera six inches from her model’s nose while the other girl stood there calmly. Although I photographed, too, and the initiates’ proud poses and fantastic costumes were stunning, what was most enjoyable was watching Simphiwe photograph her peers: two girls gazing serenely at each other, completely linked for the split second before the shutter snapped. Here you can see both my images and hers: mine, images taken by a conspicuous outsider; hers, photos taken by a girl who, were it not for the camera, could have passed completely unnoticed.
If you would like to donate an old (but functional) digital camera to Simphiwe or to SOMA, please leave a comment with your e-mail address. Donations to SOMA are tax-deductible, and I will happily provide you with a receipt.
Link to Photos:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=nqgcrwt.7p5gpkah&x=1&y=6f9id2
August 9, 2007 at 4:25 pm
Beautiful photos! Bright colors and beautiful children.
August 10, 2007 at 6:28 am
Que tengas buen viaje de regreso! Ha sido muy interesante leer tus experiencias.