YOUNG AFRIKANER - A SELF-PORTRAIT - THE BODY


  • Photographer
    ROELOF PETRUS VAN WYK
  • Prize
    Honorable Mention
  • Date of Photograph
    2009-2010

360 years after the first Dutch Settlers landed at this most southern tip of Africa, their descendents are redefining their relationship with the dark continent. They are Re-defining their young culture, taking back their young language from its oppressive history, breaking racial stereotypes and rediscovering traditional archetypes. This Constructed Documentary Photographic project , focuses on 48 Young Afrikaners. 24 Male, 24 female, tracing their lives as they change away from a Nationalist Government Simplistic Identity, into a Personal, Self Constructed Narrative Identity.

Story

This is about Race. This is how SA society identifies. It eat, drinks and sleeps, race. Malema, Terre’Blance et al. It is emotional, its political, its opportunistic, it discriminates, it defines. It eats us alive. Skin, bone and hair.

Gesture, profile, a straight back, a muscular neck, a confrontational eye. Flaming red assymetrical hair, a receding hairline, a freshly healed, post-cancer surgery scar on a head, the red marks of the fastener of a bra strap on her back.

The curve of a tattoo of Africa on a shoulder, a swallow, a beating heart, Bjork and words, words, words find itself penned on the skin.

This is the newly contested land/scape.
This is about culture.

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