Photographer Vanley Burke is particularly proud of his exhibition of portraits of veterans of the South African liberation struggle who ”otherwise would be faceless”.
The exhibition at Johannesburg’s MuseuMAfricA depicts ”the Council of the Elders”, Burke says.
One photograph shows a man raising his fist with pride, another a woman smiling timidly and others people shaking hands across large tables. They were taken at parties Nelson Mandela held on his 78th birthday in 1996 to honour the veterans of the struggle.
Burke was there to make a documentary on the achievements of the veterans. His photographs were published in 1997 in a book called Council of the Elders. The exhibition is Burke’s tribute to the veterans.
Given his heritage as the son of Caribbean slaves, the Birmingham-based Jamaican photographer says he feels connected to Africa. ”Africa is always the place one looks for.”
Burke and curator Pete James chose pictures from all of the five parties. They chose portraits and photographs that captured the atmosphere to put the other pictures in context. The images exude an atmosphere of pride and pain against the background of a party.
This contrast is typical of Burke’s work. He says he always approaches his subjects from a positive perspective. ”I try to show the strength of character and relate to their experiences.”
The photos were given to MuseuMAfricA to remind future generations of the veterans and their struggle.
Burke was unable to take down the details of all his subjects as he worked his way among the guests at the parties. Now he would like local residents to help him track the subjects. The information will be used to allow Burke to rephotograph some of the veterans and to provide data to archive the images.
This approach pleases him as he thinks photographers often take photos of people who never see the images.
Burke hopes his photographs will be used for historical reference. By photographing people’s lifestyles, the social documentary photographer —as he likes to be called — wants to contribute to the recording of history.
Burke began taking pictures of his family and friends and how they lived after he left Jamaica for England in 1965. Later he decided to document the life of the black community in England. Now he is considered England’s leading black documentary photographer.
The exhibition is not meant to make a public statement, but Burke could not resist linking the past with the present. One man has already complained about the exhibition’s lead picture of a woman wearing a World War II helmet and her father’s medals. The man said she did not earn the medals herself and therefore should not have been wearing them.
Burke says women in South Africa still struggle for their freedom. He says the picture shows pride in what the woman has achieved and turns the man’s arguments into a social statement for equity.
Burke stresses that his photographs are a gift to South Africa to honour the veterans. ”If you look in these faces, there are many untold stories.”