Besides the exhibition, a community-based programme will also be presented.
THE COMMUNITY of the Kalahari Photography Exhibition will be opened in Askam on Thursday, September 24 and will include an accompanying community-based programme
The exhibition presents the photography of Luce Steenkamp and Tommy Busakhwe. Accompanied by video, text and audio, Steenkamp and Busakhwe’s images tell their personal histories and share the stories of their communities, Andriesvale and Askham.
Steenkamp photographs young mothers who are overcoming the stigmas associated with becoming mothers as teenagers while Busakhwe overlooks the common labels of ‘lazy, disrespectful’ for Askham youth and explores intergenerational conversations and understandings.
Steenkamp and Busakhwe underwent a photographic training and mentorship programme at the Market Photo Workshop.
One of the oldest schools for photography in Johannesburg, the Market Photo Workshop’s network of photographers, educators, and curators provided Steenkamp and Busakhwe with critical skills of visual literacy and camera technique to tell their stories under the mentorship of South African photographer, Cedric Nunn.
The Market Photo Workshop will also be handing over photography equipment to the two participants aimed at supporting the continuation of telling the visual stories of the first nations of the region and is part of the school’s Heritage Month activities.
Steenkamp describes herself as a San woman who grew up in Philandersbron in the Mier area in the Kalahari and moved to Andriesvale Farm in 2001.
“Andriesvale Farm is one of the properties that our community claimed successfully in 1999. The land claim victory encouraged me to leave my job as a shopkeeper in Cape Town to return to my ancestral land and try to make a difference within my community.”
Steenkamp has been the Office Administrator of the Bushman council Office, now called the #Khomani San CPA Office, since 2009.
“Through my work, I am involved in numerous community development projects including eco-tourism, education, sustainable commercial hunting, traditional veldschool programmes, resource use and benefit-sharing agreements/ intellectual property protection”
She is also part of the ASF Filming Project and did a documentary with Mvura Productions about her almost extinct native language. She is also a Director of the Africa Human Rights Film festival, a Non-Profit Organization, whose mission is to use film to generate robust debate, empower African citizens, raise awareness, and promote respect for human rights across Africa.
Busakhwe is from Askham and born on the farm Eensaam Kasteel.
“My interest in storytelling started when I was young and when my late mother and father use to tell us their stories around the fire at night. There were stories of love, stories of sadness, stories of happiness and stories of education or very scary stories that sometimes made us close our ears and eyes – but there were also stories of hope and courage.”
The exhibition will be officially opened at 12h00 on Thursday at the Community Development Centre, Rosswoshof Koshuis in Askham, while the exhibition showcase and public programme will take place on Wednesday at the same venue.
