Manta matlala biography of william

During the last decade of Apartheid in South Africa, William Matlala (1957) made photographs of and for the people around him.

William and I met because of his contributions to a research project about cultural responses to the consequences of mining in the Witwatersrand. He took me on a tour through his life, captured on a hard drive, containing scans of negatives.

I instantly fell in love with the photographs, in which the people posing present themselves as they wished to see themselves and be seen by their loved ones.

Manta matlala biography of william

In fragmented conversations, taking place over the course of a week of working together, William began to help me understand the early days of his photographic practice, the conditions in which it unfolded, and how it led to a professional career devoted to documenting labourers and their continued struggle for better working conditions.

There is much more to learn from William and the photographs he made. But here’s a be