Inside Imizamo Yethu

In just 48 hours, from Friday morning at dawn until Saturday evening, the group will fan out to document workers, street life, families, interiors, and landscape portraits to create an intimate and revealing portrait of this community. On Sunday afternoon from noon to 4 P.M., their photographs will be displayed in the street across from the community center, IZIKO LOBOMI. This is the groups’ second community photo project, The first was in Site C, Khayelitsha in November.Photographer Mandla Mnyakama is well aware of how photographs from the townships rarely make it back to the community. "So often, photographers from outside come in to document and the people never get to see those images. This is different. We live here. We know these stories and we want to show them here for everyone to see. Our photography is about capturing daily life, the pictures that we make here will come from our experiences and from our hearts."
The photographers, who come from different townships around Cape Town, teamed up several months ago to share tips and critique each other's work. The group ranges from students and beginners to experienced photojournalists and portrait photographers. Working with digital cameras donated to their group, the photographers are able to share their work with the community almost as soon as they release the shutter button.