Uniformed

Affinities between photographers in the Tender Photo archive

People dressed to look alike, mostly pictured in the flow of activity.

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“Guguletu Grads”

This photo was taken in a township called Guguletu, on the border of Cape Town. I was invited by a friend who’s been working with the students and she asked if I could capture the 1st graders graduation.

— Julius Adorsu

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“Altar Boys”

The photograph was taken with a Nikon DSLR in Potchefstroom, North West Province, South Africa, at the unveiling of a family tombstone. I was an altar server in my youth. It was good for me in terms of routine and being closer to my faith and spirituality — but it also challenged my ideas of religion. It was good to know that offering myself to the service was my choice, and leaving the service was no different.

— Neo Baepi

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“Beneath Our Skin Lies the Sun”

This photograph is special as it stemmed from a collaborative effort and resulted in something timeless in essence.

— Keren Lasme

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“Women in Culture”

Ojude Oba festival is a festival where affluence meets pomp and pageantry at the king's court. Once a year the illustrious sons and daughters of the Ijebu Kingdom come together in glitz and glamour to pay homage to the king of Ijebuland. It is important to note that women's involvement in the festival has added beauty to the culture of the Ijebu people. This image is special to me because it shows a beauty that can only be seen during traditional rites and festivities. 

— Taiwo Arifayan

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“Timket in Ziway”

Along with many talented photographers, I was asked to take part in a trip to document the traditional/religious Epiphany ceremony at Lake Ziway. We were all on a boat facing the priests carrying the ark of the covenant. This is a ceremony where the priest carries the ark from one island to the next. It is a very peaceful and colourful sight.

— Fua Bilich

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This is the ninth and final edition of AFFINITIES. Every Friday in March and April, I reread the statements by the 100 photographers featured between February 9, 2022 and January 10, 2024, and find affinities between how they describe their themes or process, or how they visual styles interact. Read the previous editions here.

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TENDER PHOTO is a bi-weekly newsletter on African photography. Every Wednesday we feature a photograph and a short caption about it, and include a statement from the photographer. Every Friday, we publish commentaries or photo-essays in response to photographs previously featured on the newsletter. Our goal is to engage with early to mid-career African photographers by creating a platform in which they lead the cataloguing and engagement with their work.