Wedding video’s terrorism link
JERUSALEM: Prosecutors in Israel yesterday charged 13 people with inciting violence and terrorism after a wedding video showed far-right Jews dancing with guns and knives and guests mocking the death by arson of a Palestinian toddler.
The amateur video of the wedding in Jerusalem last December was broadcast on Israeli television, causing an outcry. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said its “shocking images show the true face of a group that constitutes a danger” to Israeli society.
Court officials in Jerusalem said 13 wedding participants, including the bridegroom, were indicted on charges of inciting violence or terrorism. The crimes carry a penalty of up to five years’ imprisonment.
Netanyahu, who has been dealing with a more than year-long wave of Palestinian street attacks, has pledged to take “firm action against terrorism, no matter who its perpetrators are”.
IWISH I could take credit for the concept behind these series of portraits, to say I woke up one morning with the desire to conduct this social experiment, but I can’t – I was inspired by New York photographer Richard Renaldi. Renaldi approached random people he met on the streets of New York City and asked them to be photographed side-byside as if they knew one another. Despite the fact that the subjects in the photographs were requested to show a brief, fake sign of affection toward one another – what the final photograph portrays reflects a remarkable story.
Being South African means owning the identity of a nation that struggled and fought to be liberated, a struggle that remains well documented all around the world.
This year saw South Africa celebrate 22 years of democracy and although some of her people continue to live in dire conditions, there is one ideology this nation embodies: Ubuntu, and so I became determined to adapt the photographic concept of Renaldi and tell the true story of South Africa’s people.
My journey began on the streets of Cape Town in St George’s Mall. The streets are filled with people from all walks of life. If you ever want to witness the meaning of “rainbow nation”, I would encourage you to walk the narrow streets around Greenmarket Square. The richness of cultures, diverse languages, individualism, historical scenery and the spirit of integration is the perfect location for the Ubuntu experiment.
Approaching strangers wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. The truth is not many people are comfortable with the idea of touching or being touched by a stranger – and even less being photographed together intimately.
As a photographer I was expecting a different outcome, one in which the final photograph captured would portray the subjects as uncomfortable, awkward and stiff – given they’ve never met each other. However, the final image tells of a different reality – and that was the purpose of the experiment.
The objective was to highlight the love and contentment strangers could feel towards one another. One of the participants, Yulanda Marron, thought this concept was something South Africans desperately needed, and after being photographed next to Kutse Mzini, expressed genuine feelings of affection towards him, which the final photograph can attest to.
This experiment, however, forced the subjects in the photographs to step out of their comfort zone and see beyond the physical appearance of the individual in the photograph with them. They were able to identify with one another in the purest of forms. Despite skin colour, age, gender, we all form part of the same race – the human race.
The photographs tell the story of a nation filled with kindness and love, one where humanity within strangers from different walks of life trump the negative association the world might have of the people of South Africa.
At first glance, see three female companions enjoying the scenery the streets of Cape Town has to offer.
You would never guess that minutes earlier these three women were strangers to one another. When I asked them to participate in the experiment, at first they seemed puzzled, but reluctantly agreed. As a photographer I was expecting a different outcome – one in which the photograph, captured, would portray the subjects as uncomfortable, awkward and stiff.
The final image tells a different story and that was the purpose of the experiment. The objective was to highlight the love and contentment strangers could feel towards one another At first glance we see a couple in love and wouldn’t question their relationship
The “Rainbow Nation” cannot exist if we aren’t willing to create relationships with individuals from different social backgrounds than our own. Sometimes, the “Rainbow Nation” may seem like an illusion, but this social experiment provides the foundation to start a conversation between strangers to build an integrated South Africa. The individuals in the photograph seem to share a bond and don’t come across as strangers – instead, the woman appears to be a proud mom.
What I was hoping to achieve by this social experiment was to capture the soul of South Africa and the people who inhabit this beautiful country.
South Africa is not perfect and the current state of the nation forces one to question our future. Although we are no strangers to hardship and struggle, there are people with good hearts who surround us on a daily basis; all we need to do is have a little faith in ourselves.
Ubuntu lives on…