Shanghwe
This weekend saw me heading up to the Northern Cape to start the project on the Bushman. The one thing that is a massive problem shooting in Africa, and indeed Southern Africa, is the sheer scale of the landscape. When I drove up to meet the elders of the camp a few weeks ago, I ended up doing a massive 1887 kilometers (1172 miles) in a day. That’s like driving from London to Russia in a day and something I don’t recommend.
Luckily the low-cost carriers had a special this month that allowed me to take a flight from Durban to Johannesburg and then do the 5 hour drive into the Northern Cape to meet up with the elders and my contacts. Entering Platfontein is an experience in itself, kilometers of nothing but open land and then all of a sudden, a left turn on the R31 road and then 10 kilometers to the start of the “town”. The fact they have been placed here by the current government, with nothing around them for miles, is a story in itself.
As with any project like this, getting myself known to the relevant people was key and the first morning was spent being introduced to various village elders and other important people in the community. Platfontein houses the Khwe and !Xun tribes, in an informal split between the two. I agreed with the elders that the best way to introduce myself and explain my documentary and goals was to offer a braai (barbecue) and supply the meat and drinks. This way I could talk to each elder individually (with the help of a translator) and hopefully express what I was trying to achieve.
The braai itself went down well and good relationships were formed, I can honestly say this was a brilliant idea and it gave me the necessary access and trust to the community. I had done intensive research beforehand about what I wanted to document, especially since part of the story looked at how the modern Bushman is changing due to modern pressure, and then managed to spend the rest of the weekend shooting and meeting with various people. The Bushman are incredibly warm and welcoming. I know that many of my peers have walked this path before and shot the Bushman as more of an exotic freak show, and this was something that not only the Bushman were aware of but also myself.
Respect is everything in this game, no need to be digging up dead bodies to get a good image. Good honest conversation and respect will do you wonders.
In the end I shot 17 rolls of medium format film, granted I’m not a spray and pray shooter but feel I have got a much better understanding of the 3rd generation Bushman community in Platfontein and the issues they face. This is phase one complete, the next two phases both present numerous logistical hurdles as well as access issues, but this is all part of the challenge and fun of it.
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.