From fashion to sports, from everyday images in the black communities to the big events, from ordinary people to black and white celebrities and a changing society in S.A., Alf Kumalo’s retroperspective published in his new book “Through his Lens” is representing the history of the country and it shows his life time work.
He was like a war zone photo journalist taking pictures in the burning townships, an unofficial ANC-Correspondent who was shooting photos while there was bloody shooting on the streets. One of his most famous pictures shows Nelson Mandela speaking as a free man on the stairways of the City Hall in Cape Town just after he was released from a 25 year lasting term of arrest and prison.
Alf, have you met Nelson Mandela privately to say have a cup of tea together?
Actually Nelson calls me a friend of his (Alf sounded proud to say this) yes we meet socially as old friends do.
Was that picture that you took on feb 11th, 1991 also one of your most lucky days regarding your photography?
Of course. But a lucky picture is not essentially realated with a celebrity person. One time I wanted to get into a station to take a picture inside of somebody and they kept on pushing me away and kicking me. I was very bruised and got 3 broken ribs but I got my picture. I considered this a lucky photo.
Alf, can you remember your first camera?
Oh yes. It was a Beautyflex Twin Lens like a Rolleiflex, 6 x 6 today.
Can you remember your first picture?
I remember it very well.The week I got my first camera, on that Friday I photographed a most beautiful sunset and on the weekend I photographed children in the township.
Is there a photo you like most after all these years?
I have many favourites and because as a working photographer in South Africa we didn’t specialise. We had to photograph all types of stories I do tend to have favourites in various categories like news, sport, fashion or lifestyle. But there is one that stands out – a picture I got of a policeman kicking a slightly built colleague of mine right between the legs and lifting him off the ground – it was so forceful. To get the timing right with such an awkward camera was quite lucky. (Alf caught the moment the man’s feet were inches off the ground)
Did you have a sense that your pictures would have impact as you were taking them?
We saw what a difference the photo’s were making. Not until then did people recognise the situation was serious.
I was targeted several times by the police… one time they raided my home…my house was surrounded by 5 Hippos full of soldiers(armed personnel carriers unique to SA) and then they came into my house with weapons ready to fire. My nick name is “AK” and people had put a rumour out that I was a terrorist and that I had AK47’s and other weapons in my house, the army ransacked my house looking for weapons. One soldier pushed his loaded rifle into the blankets where my 7 year old son was sleeping in to see if it really was a little boy there. I pushed the rifle aside. they could have just asked me to move the blankets. The troops all looked very scared. They really thought I was a dangerous armed terrorist.
One time I was rushing to take get a photo and a policeman got such a fright that he pointed his gun at me and was going to shoot when a black woman jumped in between us to shield me , that woman saved my life. I have had many close shaves.
Cameras and photographs were very rare in the townships when I grew up, actually no one had cameras. There are no pictures of Mandela as a child, nor of his father, there is one of his uncle. We just never had pictures or cameras in the townships. But from an early age I realised that pictures do make history. As a youngster I enjoyed looking at the pictures in Time Life Magazines, I particularly enjoyed picture books of portraits. That’s when I fell in love with back lighting.
Is there any image or a person you always wanted to photograph and but couldn’t manage to do it?
No I can’t think of one actually. I was always very persistent and managed to get the pictures I wanted.
Alf, thank you so much for taking your time to talk to us. Stay well. And don’t stop shooting.
