Visual activist, award-winning photographer and artist Zanele Muholi has turned part of their rural home in uMbumbulu, south of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, into a school to empower local youth.
While the world is on lockdown, Muholi used thier time and resources to start a project to empower youth in rural areas. The school began in February, which is essentially an addition to arts education activities they had already started over the years, offering workshops in painting, drawing, sculpture, presenting and computer skills.
But due to the Covid-19 lockdown and with kids sitting at home, Muholi and partner Bajabulile La Dhlamini Sidzumo, added classes for formal school lessons. And due to the high demand, the two humanitarians were forced to erect three wooden shacks on their property for classrooms.
Speaking to Sowetan in between daily duties, Muholi says the project was inspired by the inequality that exists within the SA education system. The school that offers free education to kids in the area seeks to put kids from villages on par with what is learned in elite schools, Muholi said.
“The constitution says all people are equal but education that is offered is not equal. When we started this project with Bajabulile, we were continuing with our visual activism. We realised that kids from here struggle with reading and speaking English. Presentation skills are crucial when you are an artist because you need to explain your work to people.
“We also realised that they lack computer skills, we offered computer literacy classes. When we started in February, it was because we were depressed by the lockdown but the project has grown to become more than just a lockdown project. We see the need to continue offering this assistance to these kids because it is helping them.”
The award-winning world renowned photographer says since formal school lessons were introduced, they have added subjects like English, social sciences and mathematics and more experts to assist them. The school also provides meals and transport for the learners.
Muholi’s art learners, who they began lessons with this year, had a chance to exhibit their work for the first time last month at KZNSA Gallery in Durban, as part of the Youth Month activities. Muholi says their students' effort is encouraging them all the time.
“Young people from this area (uMbumbulu) are highly talented but there are no art centers to back their talent. The good thing about them is that they do not drink alcohol or smoke. They are just sidelined from opportunities.”
Muholi vows that the school will continue to run without any government financial assistance as long as they are still alive and their art was still relevant.
“We knew that if we wanted this to work, we will have to fund it ourselves. Our aim is to assist these young people and invest on them so that they become better people tomorrow. I am prepared to sell my art works to make this work. As the community we get frustrated when young people become hooligans.”
The celebrated artist who has exhibited around the world and had residences in different countries is known for their series of work like Faces and Phases which comprised 200 portraits of SA’s lesbian community.
Another popular work produced by them was a series of work titled Somnyama Ngonyama which also features self-portraits explores Muholi’s own image and possibilities as a black woman in today’s global society.
Born in Umlazi township, 25km east of uMbumbulu, Muholi has also co-founded the Forum for Empowerment of Women (FEW) in 2002.
In 2009, they started a forum for queer and visual (activist) media. They continue to train and co-facilitate photography workshops for young women in the townships.
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