Series description
Soweto raised me. This series is in honour of my childhood home – the familiar faces and the streets that continue to shape how I move in the world. My childhood was immersed in the embrace of a tight-knit community where love and ambitious dreams thrived. Like the day I defied going home, facing my mother’s wrath and her looming belt. A neighbour intervened, guiding me back and turning my tumultuous action into a serene evening. Fezile, a steadfast friend, was always at the corner, and our quiet journey to school was a cherished routine; soggy bacon and eggs, bathed in tomato sauce and well-worn grease, awaited our return.
Biography
Makaziwe Radebe (b. 2001, Soweto) is a South African student driven by a love for storytelling, which led her to photography. When she was young, she would write on walls, mirrors, and, to his dismay, her father's car. These fleeting expressions were simply a natural extension of everyday life. Storytelling allows her to open herself to the world and find solace in the presence of community. Her focus centres on celebrating this sense of community.
Ta
My grandfather and my brother, Khumbulani, watching television. My grandfather spends most of his time in solitude, but after Khumbulani had left I managed to get a photograph of him at ease.
June 2023
© Makaziwe Radebe, South Africa, Shortlist, Student Competition, Home, 2024 Sony World Photography Awards
Emasingilini
This is the long street where my great-grandfather lives, which holds many of my childhood memories. This photograph was taken on the day of a thanksgiving procession and the tent was still being set up. The gathering clouds made the day quite nostalgic.
Emasingilini, Emdeni, January 2023
© Makaziwe Radebe, South Africa, Shortlist, Student Competition, Home, 2024 Sony World Photography Awards
Injabulo
I took this on the day of the thanksgiving procession, back in my childhood home in Emdeni. The festivities were during load shedding, so we used an LED light as we celebrated. Gratitude had filled our hearts, so we each took turns celebrating each other's victories.
© Makaziwe Radebe, South Africa, Shortlist, Student Competition, Home, 2024 Sony World Photography Awards
Ukuthula
In between the township and the city I asked my mother to stop the car and take a video of me walking in a corn field. It was very hot that day and I was wearing my favourite leopard print skirt. There’s something about feet touching the soil, wind blowing and trees swaying in response, as if in conversation. I desire that kind of exchange with the world.
© Makaziwe Radebe, South Africa, Shortlist, Student Competition, Home, 2024 Sony World Photography Awards
Elihle
I had gone to Khayelitsha to have my hair braided, and my stylist had asked me to wait near this pole. I felt a little lost, but not out of place, as the street reminded me so much of Soweto.
Khayelitsha , Cape Town, August 2023
© Makaziwe Radebe, South Africa, Shortlist, Student Competition, Home, 2024 Sony World Photography Awards
Ta ii
Whom was a boxer when he was younger, and his living room is filled with many of his trophies. I took pictures of his family with their chosen outfits and treasured objects while my mother and brother helped hold the white background.
Emdeni, Jun 2023
© Makaziwe Radebe, South Africa, Shortlist, Student Competition, Home, 2024 Sony World Photography Awards
Ubumbano
A collective embrace through the silent language of prayer. Thinking about these moments of quiet I realise that how I move in the world is intimately connected with the ease I feel at home.
© Makaziwe Radebe, South Africa, Shortlist, Student Competition, Home, 2024 Sony World Photography Awards
Umakhelwane
The day before the thanksgiving procession, our neighbour had set a fire. Inside the fire were clothes that belonged to their loved one, all piled up and adding to the rising flames. My grandmother and I were going to drop off a parcel and I couldn’t help but be drawn to it.
Vilakazi Street, 2023
© Makaziwe Radebe, South Africa, Shortlist, Student Competition, Home, 2024 Sony World Photography Awards