Isivumelwano
By: Sabelo Mlangeni ; text, Emmanuel Balogun, Athi Mongezeleli Joja, Tshepiso Mabula ka Ndongeni, Tshepiso Mazibuko
Contributors: Balogun, Emmanuel, writer of added commentary; Joja, Athi Mongezeleli, writer of added commentary; Mabula ka Ndongeni, Tshepiso, writer of added commentary; Mazibuko, Tshepiso, writer of added commentary; Huis Marseille (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Publisher: Fw:Books
Published: 2022
Place of publication: Amsterdam]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 119
ISBN-13: 9789083225142
Copyright date: 2022
Subjects: Exhibitions; Wedding photography; Pictorial works; Social conditions; Post-apartheid era; Photography; Wedding Photography; Relationships; Portraits; Rituals; Zulu community; Collection "Photographes"
Description: The title 'Isivumelwano' comes from Nguni, a group of languages (including Xhosa, Zulu, Ndebele and Swati) spoken in several South African countries. The word stands for a contract, agreement or covenant, and here is synonymous with the marriage ceremonies of black communities recorded by Mlangeni in southern Africa. In a series of 70+ images, the viewer is invited to participate in almost as many ceremonies, very diverse in nature. Lovingly captured couples who deviate from the heteronormative standard, local populations and cultural customs defy traditional notions of the white wedding. Isivumelwano is both a celebration of and a critique of the relationships we maintain with others. According to the photographer, "the project exposes the systems we find ourselves in (and resist)." However, the critical note is not immediately apparent in Mlangeni's images - the cruelty of unjust history is hidden behind a ceremonial veil. In the foreground is deliberately the antagonist of hatred and violence: love. Mlangeni captures the intimate, special moments during wedding ceremonie. The images become more than just a documentation of these rituals: "They show that love is the key that takes cultures from oppression to joy. As a political unifier, the contract - love - takes on a liberating force." Exhibition: Huis Marseille, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (21.05. - 04.09.2022).
Notes: Catalog of an exhibition held 21 May - 4 September, 2022 at Huis Marseille Museum for Photography, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Table of contents: title: Emmanuel Balogun; title: Discrepant pictures : on Sabelo Mlangeni's Isivumelwano -- Athi Mongezeleli Joja-- Tshepiso Mabula ka Ndongeni-- Tshepiso Mazibuko.