Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Overcoming all odds… in style
Photographer LEE-ANN OLWAGE showcases ‘Glamour in Gangland’, aiming to celebrate youth who finish high school in Hanover Park
IT’S matric ball night in Hanover Park, and against the grim backdrop of the Cape Flats, pupils beam with pride as they pose for photos in their glamorous ball gowns and tuxedos. For one night these teenagers get to feel like movie stars as they are celebrated in a community where only around 30% of pupils make it through to the end of their matric year.
There’s a stark contrast between the gritty environment and the beautiful ball gowns, tuxedos and limousine, underlining everything these students had to overcome to finish high school.
For months, families, some of whom struggle to afford to buy food for their households, save up to buy the glitzy outfits and accessories for the matric pupils to celebrate their big night.
Many pupils living on the gang-riddled Cape Flats drop out of high school due to high teenage pregnancy rates, substance abuse or being recruited by gangs.
Although many want to matriculate, they are forced to leave school in order to work to support their families. School fees are government subsidised, but any fees can be a steep price to pay for education in an area where most families face a financial struggle.
Pastor Craven Engel, Ceasefire co-ordinator and community leader, said making it through matric for these pupils was a serious achievement. “It is a miracle that these kids finish high school. When you live in a place like Hanover Park, you are faced with constant trauma and violence is considered normal. On average between 200 and 500 shots are fired in a month, and around three people are shot dead.
“These communities are always traumatised and schools are often shut down due to gang wars raging.
“Just getting up and walking to school can be lethal and therefore it is a heavy achievement for a student to graduate from high school and we as a community celebrate them.”
If a family is lucky enough to have a child poised to graduate from high school no effort is spared to give them the night of their dreams.
Matric pupil Nikeshia Fillies said: “It is such an amazing feeling to know that I have finished high school. I am so proud of myself ! I have been waiting for this moment all my life. My family is very proud of me and they supported me all the way till the end.
“We spent two months planning for the matric ball and the night was even more amazing than I could have imagined. I want to go and study nursing next year and create a better future for myself.”
Photographer Lee-Ann Olwage said she chose to capture the moment of celebration of these teenagers because she wanted to portray the subjects within their environment and capture the essence of the community and the excitement they share for the graduates.
“Instead of shooting the pupils at the venue where the function took place I decided to use the Cape Flats as a backdrop. I photographed them in front of a backdrop I set up in between the blocks of flats in order to separate them from their environment.
She added that shooting the event provided its own problems – including having to ask for permission from a gang leader to photograph teenagers in a particular location.
“Although I have been working on various photographic projects in Hanover Park for the last year this particular shoot came with its own problems. I needed the right location for the shoot but, because Hanover Park is divided into different areas, each being governed by their own gang, it is not possible for crowds from different areas to easily cross borders.
“With the help of Ceasefire Hanover Park I requested a meeting with the gang leader and asked for his permission to do the shoot there. He agreed to help me, knowing how important the matric ball is to the students.”
Olwage said she felt compelled to tell the story of these young people who had overcome adversity to persevere with their education.
“Imagine having to concentrate on studying while gunshots are going off and you fear for the safety of your loved ones. Yet these students have shown that you can beat the odds and achieve great things despite circumstances.”