The Digital Stories

While the rest of the group are planning and hanging the exhibition I'm finishing work on the digital stories.

We have eight and they're all pretty hard-hitting.
Gugu tells the story of her sister who died of AIDS - the first time she's told this story... Anna talks about getting pregnant when she was studying at college and how her family reacted to her news. Teenage pregnancy can destroy your life she says.
Jabu tells the stroy of how the jealousy of his teammates ruined his dream of becoming a professional footballer...Sylvia talks about poverty and her experience of it. Kgomotso talk about her disabled brother and his neglect and death...Vuyisile talks about his past as a criminal and how he changed his life for the better...Fikile tells the story of her abusive childhood...Bongi and Jabulile tells the story of alcohol abuse in their families.

All of these stories poured out of them.

Exhibition

Suddenly we're hanging the exhibition in Orange Farm. It's been such a long but short journey for all of us. The photos look great enlarged and the group are excited.

Digital Stories

Most of the group had never used computers before but it was amazing to see how quickly they picked it up.
In 2 1/2 days they had more or less finished their digital stories with the help of Matthews, Moshe, Mzukisi and Ayi. The digital stories combine their photos with a recorded narration. They're normally 3-5 minutes long.

I'm really excited and impressed by the group's narrative skills.

Workshops

The workshops are now focusing on digital stories - we've called in some help in the form of Moshe, Matthews and Mzukisi who are photographers and filmmakers to help with the process. It's been an exciting emotional day for the group as they begin telling stories about their life and experiences.

Group Outing

It's been a busy time for the group.

Here are photos from our outing to Jo'burg earlier in the week.
We visited Museum Africa which has a great set of exhibitions particularly the history of photography. After lunch we went to WomensNet which has also done it's own digital storytelling project. Then onto the Jo'burg Art Gallery across town. With some dancing along the way.

Cameras

The police eventually returned the cameras, after much to-ing and fro-ing.

Maggie told me about it all. The policeman wanted to take her camera and she said; "If you take my camera then give me your gun."

Apparently the policeman is now a great supporter of the project and wants updates on how we are all doing. Scared of exposure obviously.

A shift

There's been a shift in some of the group. We were discussing how it had gone during last week with their photography projects - who they'd photographed, where they'd photographed, what they'd learnt - that sort of thing.

I found myself talking to some very angry young people. One of the boys said it was all different now he had his camera and photography skills. He saw his community and the issues in it differently, in the past he wouldn't question what he saw or heard. Now he does.
Both he and another girl had been photographing in shebeens and talking to the shebeen owners who were saying they didnt have a problem with selling alcohol to people who were under 18. All that matters was the money coming in. Where was the money going - to their own childrens' education.

These two were shocked and disappointed in the adults, in their attitude to money and doing anything to get it, including ruining childrens' lives.

I got a phone call last night and today - two girls have had their cameras confiscated by the police because they'd photographed a policeman beating up an innocent man in Orange Farm. The police had seen the girls with their cameras and taken them. They have to go to the station tomorrow. I explained on the phone that if it was necessary delete the photos they'd taken to get the police off their back - then they should. It may help to make the problem go away. One of the girls said 'But I can't delete those photos - what they were doing was wrong.' She'd already told the police the same thing. It was her duty to record what she'd seen and use it.

It's an exciting time.

The Workshops....

And this is how we've been working for the past four weeks or so.

That's Anna in her church outfit looking like she's praying. She was having her portrait taken by another participant when I photographed her.

The Group in Orange Farm

This is the group of young people I'm working with in Orange Farm. The youngest is Jabulile who is 16 and the eldest is Rooi who's 33. They're all members of VRCO a community organisation which operates in Orange Farm.

I’ve been working as a freelance photographer and facilitator since 2000 or so and have had a strong personal and professional interest in Africa for many years. So when the UK charity PhotoVoice told me about a planned project in South Africa, asking if I was available, I jumped at the chance.
I’d lived in Durban in the late 1990’s just after the first democratic elections post-apartheid dismantled and Mandela had walked free. This project offered me my first return visit to the country and my first visit to Johannesburg.

PhotoVoice trains groups of people all over the world in photography, groups who are on the margins of their society – streetchildren, refugees, people with disabilities. Photography becomes a tool to tell their story to a world-wide audience and enables them engage in debates on issues that affect them.

This project runs from October until December 2006, working with young people who live in Orange Farm, a township on the outskirts of Johannesburg with a population of over 1million. The group are members of Vukuzenzele Reflect Community Organisation which works in a township that faces the challenge of 70% unemployment, extreme poverty and high rates of HIV/AIDS infection.

Their photography and stories will focus on the theme of HIV /AIDS and the issues the pandemic touches and will be collated into an exhibition to coincide with World AIDS Day at the beginning of December.

Links for more info: www.photovoice.org and www.lydiamartin.net