Byline: Kelebogile Masemola
23 May 2022
Self-taught photographer Sauda Dhlabo zooms in on the plight of impoverished native South Africans who are yet to taste the fruits of democracy in his latest exhibition The Forgotten People.
The exhibition will be displaying at the South African State Theatre until 29 May 2022, following its launch on Sunday, 22 May 2022.
His exhibit is about the people of Phuma Silwe, an informal settlement in Tembisa, where he captures the dire conditions those awaiting freedom live.
In a series of photographs, The Forgotten People highlights a sense of pain and joy in the people from a section of a self-sufficient community filled with vibrance and often violence.
Sauda’s images are a reminder that the long road to freedom is still long.
“Years have passed since South African natives broke free from the chains of apartheid.
For most of the early period, joy filled the air.
Change and prosperity filled the South African native spirit, those who filled the warm seats of parliament, those in their circles have and continue to enjoy the fruits the rainbow nation is producing,” said Dhlabo.
Dhlabo is a Tanzanian-born Street and Documentary photographer based in Gauteng.
He has enjoyed exhibition opportunities from platforms like The Joburg Fringe in 2020 and 2021 and also took part in the Save the District Six Museum Auction, where his photograph was sold for the benefit of the revival of the museum.
Sauda wishes to work with non-profit and news organisations across the African Continent to bring awareness to social issues which impact Africa and its people.
The Forgotten People will open for free public viewing at the South African State Theatre’s Opera Marble Foyer until 29 May 2022.
