Focus on South Africa: Tshepiso Mazibuko – LENSCRATCH

Focus on South Africa: Tshepiso Mazibuko – LENSCRATCH

In this second iteration of “Focus on South Africa” I wanted to include features on photography platforms, collectives, and teaching organizations in addition to artist profiles. In South Africa many photographers do not begin or advance their careers in

via LENSCRATCH: http://lenscratch.com/2021/07/focus-on-south-africa-tshepiso-mazibuko/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+lenscratch%2FZAbG+%28L++E++N++S++C++R++A++T++C++H%29

Tshepiso Mazibuko’s empathetic series “Ho tshepa ntshepedi ya bontshepe” puts forward a voice that is often underrepresented in the photographic community: a young black woman reflecting on her community, its promise, and the reality of the crippling economic situation for young people of color in South Africa. Mazibuko’s series explores the experience of “Born Frees” in her township of Thokoza and the structural inequities that continue to limit a generation that grew up with the promise of equal opportunity. The name “Born Frees” refers to those born after 1994. This generation never experienced life under the confines of apartheid, but has grown up impacted by situations that limit social and economic mobility.