Renaissance Existence Network

November 28, 2019 No comments

Wedding party, Orlando West, 1970.
Image: Photograph by David Goldblatt

Celebrated South African photographer David Goldblatt took up photography in 1948, the same year the all-white National Party came into power and apartheid began in his country. Goldblatt, was just 18 at the time, documenting the impact of apartheid — the government-implemented system of racial segregation in South Africa — would become his life-long mission. Over his decades-long career, the acclaimed photographer, who died at age 87, built a powerful legacy and body of work showing everyday life in his homeland through the apartheid years and after.

Goldblatt was born in Randfontein, a mining town west of Johannesburg, to a Jewish family that fled from Lithuania to South Africa in the 1890s. Today he is considered an icon of photography and a national treasure in the country.

As a young man, Goldblatt set out to be “a missionary with a camera, because there was no attempt internationally to tell the world what was beginning to happen” a spokesperson for Goodman Gallery told Global Citizen. But over his many years of work, his ambition changed. “I would say I am a self-appointed observer and critic of the society into which I was born, with a tendency to giving recognition to what is overlooked or unseen,” he once told his friend and fellow documentary photographer Paul Weinberg. Weinberg is also the curator of the retrospective “On Common Ground” exhibition. Goldblatt turned away from trying to photograph major moments and instead looked to document normal life under a not-so-normal system. Many of his images show the relationship between white and black South Africans. His work often captured the dynamic between those who owned the land and those who worked it.

“In the early 1960s, he became very interested in photographing the people of the Plots, Afrikaners who lived on smallholdings around Randfontein ... he would drive around, knock on a door and ask if he could take photographs of whatever life was taking place.

A farmer's son with his nursemaid

“Most of these places were harsh, in the landscape and in the standard of living – harsh, too, in terms of the relationships between the white owners and the black servants who lived on the plots,” he said. “Many [owners] were deeply racist. They had a profound fear of black people. At the same time, they had a relationship with them on their plots that was intimate and affectionate, generous to a degree that surpassed what I knew from my middle-class urban life.” Much of Goldblatt’s work was shot in black-and-white, a conscious decision on his part to use his photography as a means of portraying the social and political climate during the decades of apartheid.

Under apartheid rules, South Africans were racially classified as “white,” “black,” “colored,” or “Indian.” Categorization into these groups was largely based on physical appearance though employment, socioeconomic status, and even eating and drinking habits were also used to determine a person’s race. A white person could not marry or have sexual intercourse with a person of any other race during apartheid. And people of non-white races were forced to live in designated areas. Goldblatt documented the lives of Indian families in a suburb of Johannesburg, called Fietas by its residents, who faced forcible relocation.

Margaret Maroney: Sentenced to R100 or 50 days imprisonment suspended for 3 years for living in this flat in a White Group Area, Orion Court, Bree Street, Johannesburg, December. 1981.
Image: Photograph by David Goldblatt

Though Fietas was once home to black South Africans, “colored” people, and Indians, the government began moving black and “colored” people out of the area in the 1950s as part of the Group Areas Act. By the late ‘70s, all non-white people had been forced out of the area and Fietas was redeveloped as a community for low-income white people.

2:45am: The first bus of the day pulls in heading to Pretoria 1984

Goldblatt said “color seemed too sweet a medium to express the anger, disgust, and fear” that the rules of apartheid inspired. After apartheid ended in 1994, an optimistic Goldblatt returned to taking photos in color, signalling his hopefulness for the future of South African society, according to the Goodman Gallery. But toward the end of his life, the award-winning photographer returned to the black-and-white medium.

Lulu Gebashe and Solomon Mlutshana, who both worked in a record shop in the city, Mofolo Park, September 1972.
Image: Photograph by David Goldblatt

Children's class of the African Music and Drama Association, Orlando High School, Soweto, November 1972.
Image: Photograph by David Goldblatt

Over the past decade, South Africa, under the leadership of Jacob Zuma, has been embroiled in a series of corruption and political scandals. And Goldblatt was “discouraged by what he saw as a return to certain anti-democratic values present in post-apartheid South Africa,” a spokesperson for the Goodman Gallery said. Goldblatt didn’t think of himself as an artist, according to the Goodman Gallery. Instead, he saw his work as an attempt to engage with the consequences of actions and as an examination of South Africa’s values. And his powerful images invite viewers to reflect on those consequences and values even now, more than two decades after the apartheid ended.

March 02, 2019 No comments

February 25, 2019 No comments

In Kenya, everybody knows that life is much better abroad than at home. Many people believe that money, especially in the US󾓦, is just everywhere. This is the reason why some people will go an extra mile to acquire a visa or win a DV lottery in a bid to migrate to the US at the earliest opportunities.

You find that many people who travel to these Majuu countries go there with unreasonable and unrealistic high expectations. This actually due to lack of awareness, misconception, downright ignorance or desperation back at home. After enduring the poverty back home, they are convinced that they are migrating to a land of honey and milk, an Eldorado where jobs are available, life is smooth and where one can achieve beyond their unrealistic dreams.

America: the place like heaven and the land of opportunities where everything is possible. You find that this is the common understanding among the individuals who have not seen the reality of things or life in the United States. Not that this common believe in entirely untrue. There have been many success stories of some immigrants whose have actually gained a lot while in the US. But we have a majority of cases whereby you find some people have found it hard to settle in the USA or some ending up being beggars or homeless.

Then there is this story of a green card, which enables people to move to the US and become citizens.

Many people, who are chasing this rare opportunity, do not understand the ramifications of winning the lottery. They imagine that a green card is their key to a new prosperous life while living in the US. Some people cut off all the roots to their motherland reasoning that they are going to start a new life with new culture. You find that some sell their properties, withdraw their children from schools, resign from their jobs or generally cut all their links to their motherland. The reality dawns on them upon arriving in the United States.

For those immigrants who have no contacts, friends or relatives, many arrive in the US virtually broke to their nose. No job, no home to live in or no information about where to start from. What many people don’t know is that after winning the green card and upon arrival in the US, you are literally on your own. No support at all from the American government. Those who are lucky to get support from their friends, relatives or family members, they are housed for a short period and give a timeframe to start life on their own. Here, realities start to sink in, and very fast. Your academic certificates are not recognized. Some people think that they will acquire a teaching job since it was their job back at home, only to realize that the America education system is actually difference and has no place for them. Many people become frustrated and end up doing menial jobs in order to survive. You find a person with a degree washing dishes, cleaning toilets, serving the elderly and doing some dirty jobs that they despised back in Kenya.

Even finding these menial jobs is not easy. Those who are lucky to get one; you find them juggling three, four or even five casual jobs in a day to get extra cash to pay for living expenses. This is because life is very expensive in the US, and even paying the bills is a major challenge. It common to find Kenyans who are unhappy, doing a job they don’t like and generally frustration. It is also common to hear cases of some Kenyans who moved to America, several years later, and their families have not heard from them or know their whereabouts. Some find it hard and become beggars, homeless or result into abusing drugs. Some people, when faced with this harsh reality, they become reluctant to return to Kenya. They feel ashamed to return to Kenya poorer than they left. They fear that they will become a laughing stock once they arrive in their motherland. This is because their people have a lot of expectations that they are living well in the America.

It is importance then to conclude with a little advice to the Kenya Diaspora citizens or those would be immigrants. If you are immigrating to look for a better life abroad or you are currently living in the Diaspora, do not burn your bridges or delink yourself from your people back at home as you might need them when things don’t work out while in America and you have no option but to go back home. As the adage goes, “East, west, home is best.” I understand what you are going through and I’m ready to welcome you back home.

November 27, 2018 No comments

November 15, 2018 No comments

November 09, 2018 No comments

This terrified and starving stray puppy has made an incredible transformation since being rescued

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While stray dogs are a rarer sight in the United States, there are some countries in which it's fairly common to see them roam the streets without a home to call their own. When you are used to seeing them as pets, pampered at home and fawned over on walks, it can be quite a shock to see them scavenging for food in dark alleyways.

I live in Mombasa,Kenya and there is a major issue with stray dogs at present, with the epidemic of street dogs causing problems for both humans and canines. Without the proper care and left in the wild, these dogs can end up suffering from all manner of diseases and ailments, including rabies.

But today I'll be focusing on India. According to the World Health Organization, roughly 36% of the world's rabies deaths each year occur in India, mostly when children come into contact with infected dogs.

Credit: Animal Aid Unlimited India

Thankfully, there are some people out there doing the good work to ensure that at least some of these strays find a home. Animal Aid Unlimited is a vital rescue centre for street animals in Udaipur, Rajasthan, India, offering sanctuary and medical services for those that are ill or injured. Not only that - but they provide life-long care for the ones that need it.

Recently, workers from this charity saved a dog that was on the brink of death, ensuring that he can lead a much happier life. 'Jumper' was found outside in a plastic bag. Not only was he starving, but he could barely stand due to an extremely painful wound in his hip.

However, after the charity got a hold of him, he's doing a lot better - and after six weeks in their care, he looks like an entirely new dog.

Credit: Animal Aid Unlimited India

"We got a call to rescue a very sick street puppy," the charity wrote in their post. "We found him hiding in a plastic bag, and the moment we touched the bag he screamed in pain."

"He was desperately hungry so we could coax him out with biscuits, but every time we tried to touch him he cried out. He had severe mange and a deep wound on his hip that was causing him the shooting pains every time he moved.

"This dear little boy was in so much pain and agitation, his worried eyes never relaxed for even a moment in the first several days after rescue."

While the video isn't easy to watch, it's worth it for the uplifting end:

The comments on the YouTube video echo the thoughts I'm sure we're all having about the people that made Jumper's recovery possible.

"The world needs more people like you," one wrote. "You guys are wonderful and amazing, I'm so happy for the dog that he survived," another added, while one user said: "Jumper is the cutest little thing. Thank you so much for saving this poor doggo... You are heros to all".

Now Jumper gets to live a happy life in a loving environment!

October 13, 2018 No comments

September 23, 2018 No comments

You undoubtedly know of Lolita, the controversial 1955 novel by Vladimir Nabokov. You're also likely familiar with the Tokyo-born style subculture of the same name that consists of ruffled petticoats, lace hair bows, and pink parasols. Despite the little-girl attire and coquettish sensibilities, Lolita the style and Lolita the book come from completely different places.

Originating in Japan in the '70s, Lolita fashion was a reaction to the contemporary trend of showcasing a woman's body through formfitting clothing. This was a way to set their own rules about getting dressed, engaging with their clothing, and what was considered a "good" outfit. Small communities grew throughout Tokyo, an industry sprouted up to accommodate demand, and pretty soon, Lolita fashion became renowned beyond the streets of Harajuku.

So, when we found a group of young women in Amsterdam who get together to dress up in Lolita gear, we weren't all surprised. We visit a group of women in The Netherlands who've come across a newfound confidence in a style that's traveled halfway around the world to find them.

"When I was little I was the typical girl who wanted to be a princess. It's not like I'm still a little girl who still want to be a princess but I just really love dressing up like this. My outfits are a kind of walking piece of art where I can just make it into whatever I want.

-Katie

During my 24 hour lay over in Amsterdam, I waste my time wisely by searching for a group of women taking their fashion cues from an era of purity and hyper femininity.

The Lolita subculture may have originated in Japan but this style takes its inspiration from the silhouettes and modesty of the Victorian era in Europe. Now, the lolita fashion style has come full circle back to a country with one of the most active fashionistas.

Who are these Lolitas and why do they choose petticoats over t-shirts and jeans?

I'm on my way to a wonderland of frills and bows, a hub of the Lolita community here in the Netherlands.
I'm about to meet a Lolita who has forged her own direction. She's never
really liked rules perhaps that is why her things stand out. In the Lolita community Linda Friesen is a fashion designer who has been working with the Lolita style since 2007.
Linda's distinct style may draw more from the Lolita's European roots than the Japanese subculture that first attracted her.

"I fell in love with the clothes because, they looked very rich like something I would want to wear. It gives you the chance to become that fairytale princess for that day. It changes your whole demeanor.

I've gone from being some grungy hipster to being incredibly ladylike."

-Linda

Katie has organized the petticoat and tea party with girls coming from as far away as Luxembourg and Germany to celebrate their personal style in a like-minded community.

"I always wanted to wear black clothes and then I suddenly discovered this style and I was like: this is what I want from life.

It enhances who I am rather than it hides who I am. It's just this group of really open-minded people and they don't really judge because they know what it's like to be judged. I like to come to the Netherlands a lot because people here are more open minded."

-Cathleen

When I arrived, I thought Lolita style might be a simple statement against an over sexualized modern-day culture but what I found instead is a longing to reconnect with a bygone femininity and fairytale atmosphere. As a group, they found strength through friendship and a fashion that creates a world that's just for them.

September 15, 2018 No comments

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