Tag Archives: South Africa

When poverty porn shoots back

Watched this and thought about tropes, gaze, and representation again and how people in power tend not to like their gaze turned back on themselves either.

I also remembered a flickr comment I received a few years ago.

This is a really unique place that is somewhat spoiled by the necessity (?) of capitalism. I didn’t mind paying an entrance fee but I thought charging a fee per camera to take photographs was rather silly. I asked one woman if I could take her photograph after I bought one of her home made pies and talked for a while. She told me that it would cost an additional dollar for a photograph. At that point I lost interest in photography and the spirit of the moment. It was clear that the only connection between us was of buyer and seller. Why should I have expected it to be otherwise?

Yeah.

There are lot of entitled people with cameras out there. And there are a lot of marginalized people who understandably have issues with photographers treating them as zoo animals. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens as more and more people have cameras.

Asbo Ofori-Amanfo

Asbo Ofori-Amanfo

In my grandmother’s shop in Makola, dozens of people pass by all the time. I love to sit there and watch people walk by. Children, women, men and tourists all squeeze through the narrow alley ways. During my last trip to Ghana, I decided to document the people and colours I saw. I called the series “The Observer” because that is who I am in that environment; it’s all that I can be.

Asbo Ofori-Amanfo

Asbo Ofori-Amanfo

Asbo Ofori-Amanfo

Asbo Ofori-Amanfo

Asbo Ofori-Amanfo

Asbo Ofori-Amanfo

Meet Your Photographer, a series that will be introducing you to the contributing photographers of yagazieemezi.com. You will be seeing their work on here fairly often so this is an excellent way for you to get familiar with these talented folks. I enjoyed this series in particular because it gives insight or rather, an outlook on the everyday goings and comings that takes place in the marketplace; as though seen through the eyes of the shop owner herself.

Sometimes it’s just ridiculously simple.

Not much to add about these photos. I like them and they remind me of the value of keeping my eyes open and brain working even if in the midst of something potentially mind-deadening.

Also, yagazieemezi.com (or her tumblr) is worth keeping an eye on.