A Snapshot of Snathing

This week I focused on the concept of community with my students and we learned about portrait photography and peer reviewing our own photography.

When I initially asked them what was unique about Snathing, they didn't have any answers. So over the course of the week we went through some questions involving what the community smells like, sounds like, tastes like. We had questions on the who, what, when, where, and why of the community. What they would change about the community if they could. I learned a lot about Snathing, and since we are going through this adventure together I would like to share some of the questions and answers the children explained in class. We also went over their role in the communities and what they can do as individuals to improve it.
Our Snapshot of Snathing:

What sounds [umsindo] do you hear in the community? Radios, birds, kombi [taxi bus] motors, river water, dogs
What tastes [ukunambitha] can you find in the community? mealies, vegetables, and fruits
What smells [iphunga] do you associate with the community? trees, food, toilets, cow dung, wet soil, dead animals, smoke from fires
What does the community look like? What doesn’t it look like? Looks like a farm: big mountains, grass, trees, toilets, river. It does not look like a city township.

The 5-Ws
What is the community most famous for, or what should it be famous for? Soccer, crime, witches. Wish it was famous for educated people.

Who is a very well-known person in your community? Sipho Madondo [the councilor], and "the man who always walks on the street half naked called Sthu Man"
Where in the community do people go to feel good? eMpentshene [the local shabeen], or to go swimming in the river when it is hot.
When is the community most enjoyable? Most annoying? Most enjoyable during celebrations [wedding, umbondo, parties, etc.], on the weekends. Most annoying when it is hot and they are stuck in school [haha]
Why do people live here? Because their families are here and you can get water from the water pumps for free. Because they are poor and have no choice. There is lots of land.

“What if?” Question
What if the community won an award of many millions of rands? What could be done with the money to improve the community? Replace dirt roads with tar roads, reduce unemployment, get police for the community, build more schools for community children and make the current schools bigger, decrease poverty, build government houses and a rehabilitation center. Get computers for the schools and build a library. Build a photography school. :)

I think some of their answers are pretty funny, and others are insightful. It is great to understand where they are coming from and I really look forward to focusing on culture next week and learn about photography angles.

Also, their first film was developed this week! I am proud. I know a lot of them don't look like much, but you need to realize that every picture probably has a story or explanation, and because of that I appreciate every single one. Some of the best photos were accidents, but I really liked them. The assignment for this camera, which they shared with a partner, was to capture the things, places, and people that make their personal stories. You can see most of them in the gallery on the project website. The pictures they have taken are also sprinkled throughout this post!