The good and vibrant life in Alexandra has been revealed and will hopefully dispel outsiders’ fear and loathing of this bustling township.
This was done through pictorial images of children, women, the elderly, magicians and boozers going about their ordinary daily lives in confined spaces and dusty patches of available spaces. Most of these residents’ lives are associated with squalor, crime and grime, but this time the pictures capture them in their real settings, reflecting faces of hope against all odds.
The pictures taken by international award winning photographer Michael Meyersfeld took more than a year to compile and refine. Attesting to the importance of the pictures in changing mindsets about the area Meyersfeld said, “They [the images] are of ordinary people going about their daily routines naturally and in confidence and any fear of them must be dispelled in whatever medium.” He added that the assignment was the most fulfilling and rewarding experience he has ever had in his entire life in the photography business.
Fifteen of the pictures were displayed and some sold at Phutaditjaba Community Centre as part of fundraising in aid of charity organisation Afrika Tikkun. The organisation supports orphaned and vulnerable children, and youths by providing early childhood development, skills training and education.
It also feeds and provides material support to the elderly who converge at the centre daily to also reminisce on the good and bad old days.
Details: Angela Clark; 011 326 1470
