There is a never ending fascination with photographing the world’s indigenous people. Photographers claim to be driven by the need to ‘preserve,’ or ‘save’ the cultures portrayed by the photography, depicting the imagery as accurate ethnographic portrayals of a lost world. Admittedly most of these ancient cultures are forever evolving and the people need to change some of their ways to survive. For me, it is a continual source of wonder and joy when I attend traditional dance ceremonies of the San tribes in Botswana. The San are the original inhabitants of the Southern Africa in general, and the Kalahari in particular. Attending the dance festivals is a spiritual experience that I recommend to anyone. Having photographed the San at the Kuru Dance Festival for the last 5 years I feel a deep connection with their culture and always want to celebrate it and expose it to a wider audience. The end product of this photographic journey was a coffee table book, titled Faces of Botswana. The coffee table book was made in partnership with a San non-governmental organisation called Letloa Trust. The book aims to celebrate this amazing culture and draw attention to challenges faced by the San people in Botswana. Proceeds from the sale of the book will go to Letloa Trust to support their development and charity work.
Learn more about the Faces of Botswana project at: www.facesofbotswana.com.
Learn more about the Faces of Botswana project at: www.facesofbotswana.com.
More info: facesofbotswana.com
Hambukushu dancer- Botswana
Dancer with beaded head gear, Kalahari- Botswana
Contemplative dancer, Kalahari
Smiling dancer, Kalahari
Blissful expression, Kalahari
Hunting dancer, Kalahari
Bejewelled Kalahari dancer
Glint in his eye, Kalahari
Dancer with Botswana blue ear ring
Dancer with black mark, Kalahari
Hand clapping dancer, Kalahari
Dancer with intensive gaze, Kalahari
photographed at the Kuru dance festival by Bk Baloi
Dancer with jackal skin head gear
Singing dancer, Kalahari
