Short description
This volume features the work of eight photographers whose careers straddle South Africa's transition to democracy. Almost all of them were members of Afrapix, the collective photo agency that played a central role in documenting the struggle against apar
Long description
This volume features the work of eight photographers whose careers straddle South Africa's transition to democracy. Almost all of them were members of Afrapix, the collective photo agency that played a central role in documenting the struggle against apartheid in the 1980s and early 1990s. At that time, more personal forms of photographic expression were suppressed as photographers responded to the imperative to record their society in turmoil; indeed, some saw themselves as activists in the struggle for democracy. The negotiated political settlement, culminating in the inclusive elections in April 1994, freed them to explore other, less overtly political subjects, broaden their scope beyond South Africa’s borders, and re-examine their approach to photography. In assembling this project, Paul Weinberg, a founding member of Afrapix, and a committed member of the South African photographic family, asked seven of his colleagues to select 20 images exemplifying their work during and after apartheid. The result is a vivid and multifaceted record of a country first in conflict, and then in a state of resolution and rediscovery. While there are obvious disjunctures between the earlier and later photographs, there are also important continuities, and some images ask searching questions of the post-apartheid order. Therefore, this project not only celebrates the work of a courageous group of photographers who have documented a key period in South African history, but also explores the nature of change - and the lack of change - in this complex and challenging society.