Afrikanism, Aesthetics & Artistry
South African photographer Yasser Booley sat in front of the lens to expose his personal perspectives on photographic travels and his capacity to inspire change.
“I believe real change happens from one person to the next. Development and growth, as a person, comes from looking beyond the hype. I think authenticity comes through when what you do has meaning, it reflects in the work and people will intrinsically recognise that.”
Fuelled by a fascination with the intricacies of narrative and a profound love for taking photos, South African photographer, Yasser Booley, has recorded and captured his own perception of encounters with people, environments and events for just over two decades. Best articulated in his recently launched photographic book, South Africa at Liberty, an eclectic selection of images highlight the contrasting wealth of life found in a country dealing with vast inequalities as it transitions out of Apartheid. Yet, it’s his belief in people, what he also describes as Africa’s greatest resource, that he expresses ideas capable of shifting mindsets, practices and prompting introspection.
Fresh off a plane from London, where he presented a talk and panel discussion on his book, Booley’s demeanour was preppy and optimistic. He seemed to be in tune with the rest of Cape Town’s Kloof street on that bustling Friday afternoon. While grabbing a seat in a secluded part of the restaurant, he asked how I had been and what had changed since we last met. It was a question to be expected around a man who has a burning curiosity for engaging with people’s stories and personal narratives — something reflected in his work and shaped by is upbringing.
Having grown up in Cape Town’s Bo-Kaap, a suburb currently fighting the onslaught of gentrification, Booley is no stranger to the changing scenes and climate of the ‘new’ South Africa. His humanistic outlook and sympathetic eye bounces between fleeting moments of ecstasy in people’s diverse expressions of culture. His lens graces these moments with dignity, even the soberingly harsh aspects of life in fringe communities riddled with socio-economic divisions as well as racial and classist tensions.
Booley expresses his gratitude for another opportunity to show his work, provoke discussion and draw parallels between the humanity of those of in another nation and life in South Africa. Recounting moments where he was taken aback by people identifying with the emotions felt by those pictured in the photographs, he says he wants to precipitate moments of humanity recognising humanity.
“[Being] an Afrikanist is a dynamic of movement inward […] a recognition of intrinsic value without requiring external acknowledgement” -Yasser Booley
Yet, this wasn’t his first journey of the year. In March, Booley had travelled from Cape Town to Dar es Salaam via public transport under the moniker of #AfrikanistInMotion. He describes the project as a photographic endeavour seeking to answer the question of how we can change the perception of Africa in a meaningful way, while creating a platform for voices.
Caught mid-sentence, he gently swivels his espresso as he seeks for the right words to describe the heart and spirit of an Afrikanist. “[Being] an Afrikanist is a dynamic of movement inward, it’s a turning inward on the level of individual, community, nation and continent. What it’s about, is a recognition of intrinsic value without requiring external acknowledgement”, he says as his face starts to light up.
It’s clear that this seed has grown roots in the depths of Booley’s mind. It’s an objection of Africa’s colonial past, a questioning of capitalism and a re-centering of African culture which embodies generosity, hospitality and community. It’s an imagining of the future when he says: “An Afrikanist is someone who has a vision for a prosperous Africa playing a leadership role on the planet in the next 15–20 years. I like to think of them as a generation of pragmatists”. I snap a few shots of a mind at work while he continues,” That’s really what we need in terms of taking what we have and making use of it — doing our own thing. For me, it signals that change. It’s that interiority and dynamic of recognition of self-worth — which I think is step one for myself, personally, and then for the continent as well”.
With street children, factory workers, protestors in political rallies and real people living real lives as subjects, Booley’s imagery is devoid of artifice and theatrics. The subjects maintain their dignity as something of intrinsic value to them as individuals. Undefined by their circumstances, they tend to reach out to the viewer through their gaze. This is no mistake, “it’s always been about the eyes and the face”, he says. Reflecting on his intentions in the moment of photo-graphing, he says it’s often finding the right aesthetics to point to the person and see who they are through personal proximity. ”Where my being comes alive is when I interact with people and get down to a personal level. I’m like, who are you? And where do you come from? And what do you do?”
“The process has always been magical for me. In a way that I think digital can never be”, Booley is a firm and steady supporter of film photography. He recounts how his first experiences with photography allowed him to understand and learn more about himself through the collaboration between subject and photographer and the marked differences between the memory and actuality of the moment of shooting.
“The most important part of the photographic process for Yasser, it seemed to me, was the sense of belonging. The act of photographing makes him feel part of something bigger” says Pieter Hugo, a long-time friend and fellow photographer.
Yet, faced with the question of who can be called a photographer in this day and age, Booley responds calmly. “Every-one’s narrative is important, everyone’s perspective is important”, but he doesn’t stop there. He brings time into the equation. He believes it comes down to how much commitment and time is put in to honing and knowing the craft. Developing this craft is getting to the point of marrying aesthetically pleasing details with thought and opinion. That’s how Booley’s approach to photography ties into his notions of artistry.
Booley is under no other impression that artists possess a privileged position in society. “We have the time and the capacity and the space to think about things, look at things and depict them”, he says as his hands gesture at the room around us. “Our opinions and our thoughts”, are the words he leaves to linger over the silence prompted by the aroma of the neighbouring table’s food.
“How do you ensure that what you do has the possibility of changing the status quo? Or changing the way people think?” [Booley on purpose]
Booley is under no other impression that artists possess a privileged position in society. “We have the time and the capacity and the space to think about things, look at things and depict them”, he says as his hands gesture at the room around us. “Our opinions and our thoughts”, are the words he leaves to linger over the silence prompted by the aroma of the neighbouring table’s food.
Fiddling with a small broach between his fingers, Booley expresses concern with the rapid and increasing turnover rate in our digital age. Being in a space where what he has done commits to a larger body of work is where he wants to be, he says as he ponders his goals as a photographer and as an artist. The tick-tock clicking noise of the broach grows louder as he reiterates the idea of ‘what’s hot today is not tomorrow’.
Like many other people around the world, Yasser Booley’s motives lie along-side the age-old question of how to create work that will stand the test of time. Creating imagery valuable enough to be part of a record of what has transpired in the first two decades of this democracy is part of his answer to the question he poses to the world, “how do you ensure that what you do has the possibility of changing the status quo? Or changing the way people think?”.
Notes:
Originally written in 2017 and published on onconcreteandbeyond. All images captured by Arron Moos unless stated at Booley’s own work.
Order Booley’s South Africa at Liberty photobook online.
