Tuesday 12 February 2013

Portraits of Poverty...


This group of about 21 poor and unemployed people stay in a 'white squatter camp' near Pretoria. They all live together in a fenced off plot. Each person lives in their own 'tin shack' made of corrugated iron sheeting . . . 








They have cows, pigs and dogs roaming around the yard. The cows are milked everyday and the milk sold to provide extra income, They all have their meals together in a communal dining area. For the rest they depend on the goodwill and charity of the community. The community is made up mainly of older people but there are a few younger ones. Everyone has to work, some sterilize the milk and others sweep and clean the yard. When I visited the compound briefly about a month ago, it was sweltering hot and the tin shacks were like ovens inside and of course in the winter they are bitterly cold...

Almost twenty years after the end of apartheid our country is still totally divided among racial lines...even the poorest of the poor live apart...and terms like 'so called coloureds', whites, blacks and indians are still regularly used and many government reports require companies to report along these 'racial' terms. 


click on images to enlarge and please visit my website at...www.ivanmuller.co.za/








































regards, Ivan


Please also vist my website at . . . http://ivanmuller.zenfolio.com/

6 comments:

Guy Platt said...

I think these are your strongest set of images that I have seen. Powerful and very well taken. Well done. The intensity in their eyes is really something. Are they mostly one family or just individuals who joined up? How did they take to you photographing them?

Unknown said...

Thanks Guy! No they are a bunch of individuals that have found a safe haven. They all have tasks to perform like straining the milk and sweeping the yard. They were actually very sympathetic towards me, but I did arranged to photograph them beforehand and asked each ones permission. Only one lady refused. I also promised them all some prints which builds trust and will make the next round of photographs easier...

Guy Platt said...

They are so strong. Why not post a couple for the folks on the Leica forum to enjoy? It's not important what camera you used they'll appreciate them.

These are my favorite. I don't know which yours are : (Wish I could figure out how to insert a link)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MSSyliTfMfs/URpEwpcncRI/AAAAAAAAAso/WHmObUCgZlk/s640/IvanM--1282.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-glH9Vo9w6WE/URpFzx-bznI/AAAAAAAAAtY/_KVtGAXD6h4/s640/IvanM--1221.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BbgcPd7KVWY/URpH5BthQSI/AAAAAAAAAuU/5yRG3F3uMSg/s1600/IvanM--6-BW.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZLqZOBtmxzs/URpIJnJOivI/AAAAAAAAAuc/815itXTMD1w/s1600/IvanM--8.jpg
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0Usm1KV4lX8/URpIOnCtRYI/AAAAAAAAAuw/_j2qI2UpAPA/s1600/IvanM--4-BW.jpg

regards
Guy

Guy Platt said...

And how could I leave out

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zfx7Zh7owT0/URpFIdg-yoI/AAAAAAAAAs4/yUUXADoseqg/s640/IvanM--1034187.jpg

GF said...

Great shots Ivan! Really happy that I found my way here.

Unknown said...

You are Welcome!