PERSONAL WORK / PHOTO DOCUMENTARY
Three chapters, over 6 years. All located in South Africa.
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Cape Town, South Africa
Middle of July, everybody is enjoying summer in Europe. I’m heading to Cape Town, South Africa, in the middle of winter. Wind, rain, cold. The opposite of what people say about the beautiful town close by Table Mountain. Will things change the longer I stay there? Curious to get to know this place and people. Already waiting for summer in November. This chapter is a diary about my viewings and remarks during my time in Cape Town.
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Hoedspruit, South Africa
In 2016 over 1.000 rhinos were poached in South Africa because of their horns. The problem was bigger than I anticipated. I ventured to the heart of anti-poaching in South Africa, Hoedspruit, and made contact with the Protack Anti-Poaching Unit. This is where I met Tumelo Thibedi Morema, better known as Tumi, a black man who started working for Protack over ten years ago. I grew close to him.
This story is about Tumi - the life of an anti-poacher as well as a husband, father and friend.
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Hoedspruit, South Africa
Rhinoceros sequel, 5 years later. Same people, same spot, different story. Tumi quit rhino anti-poaching for Protrack, had an identity crisis and is now working in Johannesburg as a security guard against illegal gold mining by the Zama Zamas.
It feels familiar to meet again, but a lot has changed. You can smell his suspicion. What happened in those 5 years? What happened to the motivated anti-poacher who was the signboard of Protrack?
“Who is this fool?”, he says. And he points to himself in the pictures. “I don’t like the media anymore.”