call me dog

“call me dog” began with 20 donated disposable cameras, no budget, and lots of passion.

We wanted “forgotten” youth to record their own stories and to explore their environment from an intimate and personal perspective. The camera is an excellent tool for exploration, it gives you an excuse to go to places you might not ordinarily go to, you have a reason to embark on adventures and you bring back a record of light and shadows that can be printed onto pieces of paper for everybody to see.

The workshops took place in Crestway High school in Retreat and in Heideveld with youth aged 9 - 19. They were part of a broader life skills programme run by an organisation called CRED (creative education with youth). In the first session, the youth were taught basic camera skills and were shown some examples of what a good, or at least interesting photographs looked like. In their brief they were encouraged to be as creative and experimental as possible. We sent the youth on their way, disposable cameras in hand, unsure of what they would bring back to us.

We are the consumers of newspapers, radio, video and TV but mostly don’t know how they were created. The role of Other-Wise media with youth is to demystify how media is made and teach these skills to youth. Understanding the media reality around you and learning the skills means you can begin to participate in the media world with your own voice.
Photography is an exciting process that captures attention easily. This helped to work with youth lacking in concentration. The camera has a status and power of its own providing the person behiind the lens with a sense of purpose and importance. It is a powerful tool which can work towards building self esteem.

“It is sometimes difficult to let our voices be heard above the sounds of gunshots.”

John Fredericks explains further “Working with the youth in the gang infested area of Heideveld, I have come to know that the fear that parents experience in their daily lives are real. They fear for the lives of their children. Children are trained to duck or run for cover as soon as the guns go off. Young men die for nothing in daring, daylight shoot-outs. Leaving behind a lot of heartache and shattered dreams. During one of our workshops a kid stood crying because his mother would not allow him to participate. I inquired about this as she had agreed to let him join us the previous week. Her reason was fear. She was fearful because the school where we were working was situated in the middle of a war zone.

I thought long and hard about the situation and decided to go ahead. Fear is the key ! Gangsterism thrives on fear and to back down, means that they would have won. The lady agreed to send her son along saying; “He is in your hands.“ This was not about bravado or being bold.

If we believe in what we are doing, we can make a difference.”

These are the real experiences of film-maker, John Fredericks. He is a passionate facilitator of marginalised youth, inspiring them to rise above abuse, low self-esteem, poverty and the stigma of gangsterism. There are many forgotten youth on the Cape Flats, we only hear about them on the news after gang violence or death, rapes or suicides have taken place.

What really brought home to me the kind of violence and tragedy the youth live with on a daily basis, was loosing one of the paritcipants in the workshops. I remember the young woman, Zoraya, we have a photograph of her holding up her disposable camera, eager and smiling sweetly. When she was absent from the workshop two weeks later, I thought she was sick or had been unable to attend.

I went numb when I was casually told “she’s dead”. The story was garbled with many different versions but basically she shot herself accidentally with a gun she was “safekeeping” in her wardrobe for her auntie or her boyfriend. We also heard of more senseless gun deaths, this was just accepted as part of life for the kids. We weren’t able to find out what happened to her camera or if she had taken any photographs. Her death has left a dark hole of pain and loss. The exhibition is dedicated to her.

We were so moved by the images the youth brought back to us, it was inspirational. The photographs were exhibited as part of the Cape Town Month of Photography where over 150 photographic exhibitions took place in and around the city. Many people commented on the freshness and the originality the young photographers managed to achieve in their images. They certainly matched up to, even surpassed, many of the professional shows running concurrently. An entry written into the comments book was:

The children’s power of profound insight coupled with their wonderful images makes much of the adult photography appear stultified and contrived by comparison.

When we took the youth to visit their photographic show, they were overwhelmed. The pride was tangible as they stood and marvelled over their own photographs publically displayed.

“I never thought that one day my own work would be part of an exhibition. It feels great. It’s my first exhibition I’ve been at and it’s certainly my best.”

Did the photographic workshops change the lives of the youth? We can't claim miracles, but a seed was planted, hopefully something will grow, perhaps even little photographers will sprout. Creativity is a way out of the ghetto.

Every person who comes to the exhibition and reads the texts is touched by the honesty and beauty the youth have created out of bleek and desolate environments. There is much unrecognised talent out there. Most importantly the photographs have raised the visibility of youth on the Cape Flats and provided a deep insight into their lives and minds. Nobody needs to be called “dog” to be remembered.

At present Other-Wise is working towards releasing a book on the project and is currently raising funds for further photographic workshops with a diverse range of youth. If you have any donations, contacts, ideas or queries contact Kali van der Merwe