Jabulani, The Documentary Photographer

Earlier this year Andrew and I were out flying our drone, and almost from nowhere a very friendly and happy face came to greet Andrew - it was Jabulani. Andrew met Jabulani a year or so back when he was interviewed for a news piece that Andrew was filming on assignment, and just by chance we were all in the same place at the same time. Upon hearing that Jabulani is a documentary photographer, I asked if we could come and interview him for our own platform…anything that falls into the Documentary category automatically piques my interest.

Jabulani lives in a Township just outside of Johannesburg and he took us for a walk around his neighbourhood while he was taking photos. Jabulani was actually in the army after school but during leave, he discovered that photography could be a career and decided to pursue that. In townships, there are very few art projects and opportunities for education in an art form, so the local knowledge about art, in general, is very limited. Jabulani’s work is about capturing moments spent with people and about documenting how things are at a specific time, rather than in-depth stories, and it is so important because it not only sheds light on what it is like to live in a township but also introduces people in townships to a different career path. Jabulani, or Jabu as he is also known, has had art exhibited internationally and works closely with a renowned gallery here in Johannesburg, but he says his best work is actually the photography class he runs for the local children in his township where he teaches street photography. There are now a lot of children out there who have had their horizons broadened and their opportunities increased. I agree, that is Jabu’s best work.

Producer/Director/Editor: Tamarin Gerriety
DOP: Andrew McGarrity
Camera: @CanonRSA 5D||| & #eosrp

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