0:00:20.295,0:00:22.376
Zanele Muholi: Why are black lives so fascinating?

0:00:24.686,0:00:25.629
Why are we here?

0:00:32.013,0:00:33.505
Can I own my voice?

0:00:34.860,0:00:35.929
Can I own me?

0:00:35.929,0:00:39.539
Because my mother never had an opportunity[br]to own her own voice until she died.

0:00:41.418,0:00:46.209
There are a lot of beautiful humans out there who get[br]to be in covers of magazines

0:00:47.173,0:00:50.169
and they're loved dearly.

0:00:50.770,0:00:55.623
Why are ordinary people only featured in any[br]magazine when there's tragedy?

0:00:56.770,0:01:02.769
Why are there no images of queer people, especially[br]black people and yet people are told that

0:01:02.769,0:01:04.074
you have a right to be?

0:01:05.298,0:01:08.900
Yes, apartheid period has its own visuals.

0:01:09.161,0:01:10.992
Those were photography of resistance.

0:01:11.200,0:01:15.000
They known, they common, they bloody.

0:01:15.520,0:01:19.751
I just wanted to produce images that spoke[br]to me as a person.

0:01:20.140,0:01:21.891
That still speak to me now.

0:01:23.220,0:01:25.000
I'm boiling inside.

0:01:26.790,0:01:28.330
Like any other great men.

0:01:28.330,0:01:30.270
I want to be counted in history.

0:01:30.270,0:01:32.150
I want to produce that history.

0:01:32.150,0:01:35.130
I want to basically say, this is me.

0:01:35.495,0:01:42.118
[Singing in foreign language]

0:01:42.222,0:01:55.260
....shines in the dark, so much darkness like you are alone. Little star, that shines in the dark

0:01:55.357,0:02:00.243
[Singing fades softly into background]

0:02:02.254,0:02:09.877
Zanele: I photograph myself to remind thyself[br]that you exist.

0:02:13.343,0:02:18.036
I am born by Malawian father and Zulu mom.

0:02:19.026,0:02:24.349
We were eight siblings in all and four of[br]my siblings died.

0:02:24.349,0:02:25.979
Now we are four.

0:02:28.220,0:02:31.090
I'm looking at this print, it’s supposed[br]to be sharper, but is not super sharp

0:02:31.090,0:02:32.856
and there's floating hairs.

0:02:35.176,0:02:38.105
My mother worked so hard.

0:02:38.759,0:02:42.127
When my father died she had to take care of many of us.

0:02:43.060,0:02:48.371
I guess most of what I do is shaped by her[br]life and a way of doing things.

0:02:50.690,0:02:53.230
This is “Somnyama Ngonyama,” a series.

0:02:54.166,0:02:58.704
What is important is the space that I occupy,[br]my being, my presence there,

0:02:58.834,0:03:03.306
and then the objects that are found within[br]those settings.

0:03:04.010,0:03:06.658
Then those objects need to [br]have a specific meaning.

0:03:08.250,0:03:14.000
This is the tube of a bicycle is significant[br]to most South Africans who are fine-tuned

0:03:14.000,0:03:16.558
with apartheid history.

0:03:16.558,0:03:18.845
It speaks on necklacing.

0:03:18.845,0:03:20.622
Your enemies would put on the tire

0:03:20.622,0:03:23.425
and set you alight right there in that spot.

0:03:25.297,0:03:30.747
This was specially dedicated to my sister[br]who then passed a few days after the image

0:03:30.747,0:03:31.650
was taken.

0:03:33.499,0:03:39.856
Most of the “Somnyama Ngonyama” images,[br]are Zulu titled because Zulu is my language.

0:03:40.560,0:03:46.751
“Bona,” which means "See," was taken in an [br]old hotel in Charlottesville.

0:03:47.950,0:03:54.150
This says you were at this place at this particular[br]time and you survived because nobody knows

0:03:54.150,0:03:55.450
what might happen.

0:03:57.300,0:03:59.110
Talking about like life and death,

0:03:59.110,0:04:01.970
I had to go through a serious operation.

0:04:02.100,0:04:04.003
And I never thought that I would be alive.

0:04:04.003,0:04:08.590
I lost a lot of blood and the image that I[br]took is called “Julile”

0:04:11.143,0:04:15.676
and I shot it with plastics which represented tumors.

0:04:17.553,0:04:22.598
Giving thanks for being alive is very, very,[br]very important to me.

0:04:27.097,0:04:28.451
Put Thembi here.

0:04:30.718,0:04:34.011
I want to make an introduction in 30 seconds.

0:04:35.313,0:04:37.912
Most of the time I go to locations where people live.

0:04:39.420,0:04:40.810
I was born in the township.

0:04:40.810,0:04:43.245
I liked the vibe of the townships of Johannesburg.

0:04:48.092,0:04:54.426
People connect with their own spaces and they[br]become comfortable if it's safe to be in those spaces.

0:04:55.960,0:05:00.385
[Speaker in Instagram video] [br]We are here to do a follow-up photo [br]shoot of “Faces and Phases.”

0:05:01.490,0:05:05.418
Zanele Muholi: So you just do a short introduction[br]and I just want to roll it.

0:05:05.600,0:05:09.656
You speak Zulu, or Sotho, or English, so we[br]do in three languages.

0:05:10.000,0:05:11.630
But have some energy please.

0:05:11.630,0:05:15.512
Yes, the energy you possess when you dance.

0:05:16.659,0:05:17.339
- Up or down?

0:05:17.339,0:05:18.974
Zanele Muholi:[br]Up. Up. Up. Up.

0:05:18.974,0:05:20.000
- Right here?

0:05:20.000,0:05:21.027
Zanele Muholi:[br]Yes. Yeah, cool.

0:05:21.939,0:05:22.439
Ayanda:[br]Okay, hi.

0:05:22.439,0:05:24.557
I am Ayanda Masina.

0:05:24.557,0:05:27.808
This is me four years ago, and this is me now.

0:05:27.808,0:05:29.808
Uh...

0:05:30.832,0:05:31.487
Zanele Muholi:[br]Cut.

0:05:31.487,0:05:32.895
[laughter]

0:05:32.895,0:05:37.213
Zanele Muholi: The people of Johannesburg are here[br]to work, unlike in Cape Town and other cities,

0:05:37.760,0:05:39.160
we are here to hustle.

0:05:39.334,0:05:42.162
- You got it right. You were flowing nicely there.

0:05:42.162,0:05:45.705
Remember, we want this to trend on Instagram!

0:05:45.705,0:05:47.001
[laughter]

0:05:47.600,0:05:49.094
♪ ♪

0:05:53.701,0:05:57.918
I photograph different LGBTI individuals,[br]risking my life,

0:05:58.022,0:06:00.565
challenging the myth that say,

0:06:00.565,0:06:04.161
being gay, being trans is un-African.

0:06:11.813,0:06:16.923
When I started “Faces and Phases”, I just[br]wanted to produce a project that will live

0:06:17.150,0:06:18.448
beyond us.

0:06:19.880,0:06:24.880
As people reach different stages in their[br]lives, they get to be documented and they

0:06:24.880,0:06:27.081
share for the LGBTI community.

0:06:28.308,0:06:30.000
It's a lifetime project.

0:06:31.990,0:06:34.300
The book's supposed to come out in volumes.

0:06:35.126,0:06:40.470
The next publication will be out next year,[br]which then marks another period in our lives.

0:06:42.584,0:06:44.787
I am a member of the community.

0:06:49.150,0:06:54.000
We hardly find images that speaks of love[br]and joys of LGBTI individuals,

0:06:56.341,0:06:57.949
so then it becomes the issue of ownership.

0:07:00.722,0:07:06.669
I told myself that I would do better than[br]any other outsider to project our lives.

0:07:11.828,0:07:15.600
I always say to people, it's one thing to[br]have the constitution.

0:07:15.600,0:07:18.474
It's something else to have the document that[br]speaks to that constitution.

0:07:19.829,0:07:25.408
You can't say people have a right to exist[br]without visuals that are produced by us on us.

0:07:27.499,0:07:30.368
A simple image of a queer being in space.

0:07:31.084,0:07:32.403
That's political.

0:07:34.404,0:07:39.986
“Faces and Phases” becomes one of those[br]important documents that comes out from Africa.

0:07:46.281,0:07:50.282
One of the first individuals that I work with[br]happen to be a friend

0:07:50.517,0:07:52.960
and her name is Busi Sigasa.

0:07:53.710,0:07:58.629
She was a 25-year-old who was a curative rape survivor,

0:07:58.879,0:08:02.190
and she succumbed to HIV complications

0:08:02.190,0:08:04.979
and died in 2007 in March.

0:08:08.410,0:08:13.180
I'm always reminded of her work and contributions[br]that she made,

0:08:13.180,0:08:16.990
daring and speaking out on hate crimes, on[br]curative rapes,

0:08:16.990,0:08:18.795
on all that was unjust.

0:08:19.840,0:08:20.961
She'll always be remembered.

0:08:23.302,0:08:24.340
- Don't frown, sir.

0:08:25.385,0:08:28.127
The stripes have to be straight. Collen needs stripes.

0:08:28.127,0:08:28.909
That’s his duvet!

0:08:31.365,0:08:34.636
Every year I try to capture a nice picture of Collen.

0:08:35.409,0:08:40.057
Collen has his own series documenting [br]himself and his community

0:08:40.057,0:08:44.050
and also, he's teaching photography to [br]youth in this township.

0:08:44.180,0:08:45.630
[laughter]

0:08:47.252,0:08:50.408
- First of all, she couldn't even see they were her photos.

0:08:51.555,0:08:52.886
- I was trying to remember.

0:08:53.167,0:08:57.050
Collen Mfazwe: These are our new students from different township.

0:08:59.322,0:09:04.160
Lerato Dumse: We always interested in training[br]black women who believe in black media diversity,

0:09:04.160,0:09:05.310
media ownership,

0:09:05.310,0:09:07.698
so that's really what's the driving force for me.

0:09:09.403,0:09:12.334
Zanele Muholi: So please give us the[br]background, Monde.

0:09:12.334,0:09:14.422
What's happening? What are we about to see?

0:09:15.042,0:09:19.174
- Here I am at Sinaba Stadium in Daveyton.

0:09:19.174,0:09:24.793
There was a challenge, between the township[br]boys, challenging each other in soccer.

0:09:25.000,0:09:25.807
Zanele: Sharp, no problem.

0:09:25.807,0:09:27.338
I appreciate the effort.

0:09:27.732,0:09:28.732
Framing is good.

0:09:28.823,0:09:29.615
I'm okay.

0:09:29.615,0:09:31.502
There is somebody who almost got in.

0:09:31.502,0:09:33.099
You see, on the left.

0:09:33.863,0:09:35.186
Nonetheless, we will work on that,

0:09:35.186,0:09:37.398
but I like the two and the two at the back.

0:09:37.398,0:09:38.303
Do you see them?

0:09:38.617,0:09:40.217
Yeah, very, very interesting.

0:09:40.990,0:09:42.433
It's the crew that I work with.

0:09:42.433,0:09:47.502
It's people that I pay for their education[br]or sponsor for their causes.

0:09:47.502,0:09:50.709
And most of them, they are graduates from[br]Market Photo Workshop,

0:09:50.709,0:09:54.709
which is a school I attended which [br]was started by David Goldblatt,

0:09:54.709,0:09:57.003
who later became my mentor.

0:09:58.436,0:10:03.559
And he becomes one of the most important human[br]beings in my life because he financed for my education,

0:10:04.990,0:10:07.751
So I have learned from David to say sharing is caring.

0:10:08.947,0:10:13.232
The person who has given you her time or his time

0:10:13.232,0:10:15.296
so you can't waste it.

0:10:16.625,0:10:19.228
♪ ♪

0:10:24.009,0:10:27.109
So I'm doing a follow up with Kat on "Brave Beauties."

0:10:29.154,0:10:34.939
“Brave Beauties” is a project that looks[br]specifically at trans women who are beauty queens.

0:10:40.260,0:10:43.610
My history of documenting beauty pageants[br]is personal.

0:10:44.451,0:10:48.720
Twenty years ago, exactly now, I entered a[br]contest and I won.

0:10:49.470,0:10:55.089
I wanted to reminisce and go back to that[br]space and I produced portraits of myself on

0:10:55.089,0:10:57.080
residency in Amsterdam.

0:10:58.148,0:11:03.690
Beauty pageants and drag shows, they create[br]space that's safe for LGBTI individuals to

0:11:03.690,0:11:05.470
express themselves,

0:11:05.470,0:11:08.350
which is not what they usually do on daily basis.

0:11:11.190,0:11:15.564
Miss Divine is one of the most important humans[br]in our lives,

0:11:15.799,0:11:18.545
for people who like drag shows here.

0:11:19.681,0:11:25.377
I recognize drag queens as cultural activists[br]because they educate with their performance.

0:11:26.626,0:11:31.232
She's wearing red high heel shoes and a Zulu[br]beaded skirt,

0:11:31.597,0:11:36.263
which is meant to be worn by a woman coming of age.

0:11:37.063,0:11:43.387
The Africans, we're proud of our tribes, and[br]some of us still stick to the tradition.

0:11:45.117,0:11:47.547
- Bathini, we need a brush, girl.

0:11:47.547,0:11:52.208
I always stress to each and every person that[br]I photograph to look good,

0:11:53.797,0:11:58.194
look good because you’ll be seen by many people.

0:12:00.208,0:12:02.247
[laughter]

0:12:02.852,0:12:04.871
Please make the girl comfortable.

0:12:04.871,0:12:06.010
Time is against us.

0:12:10.487,0:12:16.196
I work with people who are partaking in a[br]historical project, who are informing many

0:12:16.196,0:12:19.370
individuals, including me about their lives.

0:12:21.074,0:12:24.719
So it's very important for me that I respect[br]the fact that they've trusted me

0:12:24.719,0:12:26.709
enough to be there.

0:12:32.970,0:12:35.090
I work with participants.

0:12:35.846,0:12:37.894
There are no subjects[br]in my photography.

0:12:40.812,0:12:44.613
[cheers and applause]

0:12:45.276,0:12:47.659
Odidi Odidiva Mfenyana: Well, um, hi everybody!

0:12:48.545,0:12:50.537
I’m still recovering

0:12:50.537,0:12:51.847
from the party yesterday.

0:12:51.847,0:12:54.134
[laughter]

0:12:54.733,0:13:00.000
Zanele is just absolutely the most craziest[br]person I’ve ever met.

0:13:00.000,0:13:03.064
She has made me do more crazy things that[br]I have done in my life.

0:13:04.132,0:13:06.188
But I have to say from the bottom of my heart[br]thank you so much.

0:13:06.188,0:13:10.823
This is a great way to end both Women's Month.

0:13:10.823,0:13:11.973
Crowd:[br]Yes!

0:13:13.250,0:13:14.234
- Yes!

0:13:15.000,0:13:17.194
[snapping][br]- ♪ Whatever you want ♪

0:13:17.376,0:13:18.371
Crowd:[br]Whoo!

0:13:18.632,0:13:20.632
- ♪ Whatever you need ♪

0:13:23.476,0:13:27.202
♪ Oh, anything you want done, baby ♪

0:13:27.202,0:13:32.278
♪ I'll do it naturally ♪

0:13:32.278,0:13:32.811
- Everybody sing!

0:13:33.320,0:13:36.968
Crowd:[br]♪ I'm every woman ♪

0:13:36.968,0:13:40.152
♪ It's all in me ♪

0:13:40.152,0:13:42.909
Zanele Muholi:[br]History could easily be projected and produced

0:13:42.909,0:13:44.180
by those who live it.

0:13:45.431,0:13:47.831
[crowd singing]

0:13:49.639,0:13:54.000
Zanele Muholi: We work speaking resistance, speaking existence.

0:13:56.267,0:13:58.830
- That was beautiful.[br]That was beautiful.

0:13:59.000,0:14:00.435
Zanele Muholi: We’re not done yet.

0:14:10.219,0:14:13.557
To learn more about Art21 and our educational resources,

0:14:14.000,0:14:18.406
please visit us online at PBS.org/art21