Lidudumalingani: South African documentary photographer exploring history, colonialism and the human spirit

Lidudumalingani is an award-winning writer, photographer and filmmaker. He currently lives in Johannesburg and works as a Commissioning Editor at CANAL+ Africa. In 2016, he was awarded the Caine Prize for African Writing for his short story ‘Memories We Lost.’

He has contributed to the BBC, The Africa Report, Chimurenga, Mail & Guardian, Wanted Magazine, Visi Magazine, Enkare Review, Quartz Africa, and Africa Is a Country. He has also written book introductions, contributed essays to books and written text for exhibitions. He was recently part of the Tender Photo project ‘Tender Visions’.

How would you describe yourself in a few sentences?

I think of myself as fairly ordinary, and I say this not to present any humility. I write and photograph obsessively, returning to the same things until they begin to make sense.

The other aspects of my life are also lived in repetition. I cycle and play football at least three times a week. I love coffee and brew a cup every morning as a ritual. I hate cooking. I love doing the dishes. I collect books and magazines.

How did you get started in photography?

I fell in love with photography through cinema. I went to film school to study cinema and graduated with a strong desire to make photographs. I watched more films and learnt to make photographs.

I learned from classic films that a frame can be deliberate and layered. And so, from cinema, I found my way to photographs, narrative and complexity.

What type of photography do you specialise in, and why this speciality?

I work in the tradition of documentary photography. I want to tell stories, and that is my only interest in the medium. My style has certainly evolved. 

I started with small, light digital cameras. I made images quickly and made many of them. Now, at least over the last few years, I work with large and heavy cameras, often on a tripod, or handheld only for a few minutes before my arms and back ache. The slow process allows for contemplation before the image is made, and not after.

What are the main themes that inspire your photography?

My interest is broad, and I cannot pin it down to a few main themes or ideas. Right now, I am interested in history and people. I am thinking about colonialism, politics and the human spirit.

I am thinking about this in urban and rural settings. And so I am making landscapes, social observations and portraiture. All project-focused.

What moment in your photography career are you most proud of?

I am proud of every photograph I make. But when a long-form project takes shape and forms a narrative, I am most proud. I completed a project for the Tender Visions Project by Tender Photo last year, and I was very proud of it.

It was an excruciating process, from concept and research to execution and release. I am currently working on three long-form projects, and I am excited to spend time thinking about them, researching and making images.

What's the biggest challenge you've faced as a photographer?

The costs involved are the biggest challenge. I shoot long-form projects on film, and it is hugely expensive. So are the costs of production, but I would not trade the depth and texture of film for anything. Living in South Africa, the other challenge I have come to be debilitatingly aware of is security.

It is nearly impossible to shoot without checking the surroundings for danger. It makes shooting slow and difficult, but it does add a layer of pedantic planning — visiting a location more than once, the first few times without any gear, and then only when the image is certain, with all the gear.

If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be and why?

This is a tricky one. I do not really want to collaborate with a photographer or a brand, but rather with historians, cultural leaders, writers and communities.

How's the photography and art space in South Africa?

People are finding ways to make and show work, but there is always the problem of state and private funding, which is never enough. Photography has a space in galleries, but I am not sure if it is enough. I do not even know if people are buying photographs. There is visibility, but I do not know if there is an industry that sustains photographers.

What advice would you give to someone starting in photography?

Look at many photography books, and the projects photographers around the world have done. See films. Read history. Know current affairs. Talk to people. And then buy a camera and take photographs.