Behind the lens after 28 years

2004-06-15 10:56

Heidi Lee Smith

Acornhoek, South Africa - Iconic liberation-era photographer Sam Nzima has finally taken up his cameras again, after 28 years, to photograph the new world that martyrs such as Hector Peterson died for.

Nzima achieved world fame with the photograph of the dying 13-year-old schoolboy being carried in the arms of another youth.

He'd been shot by apartheid era police on June 16, 1976, when black scholars marched in protest against being taught in Afrikaans, which was considered the language of the oppressor. Altogether, 575 people were killed that day.

It was also the day Nzima laid his camera to rest, to avoid persecution by security police who were outraged at the impact that Nzima's picture had on world opinion.

After a series of "truly scary" interrogations by security policemen, and weeks of living on the run, Nzima finally fled back to his home village of Lilliedale near Acornhoek, in one of Limpopo's most impoverished bantustan dumping grounds.

Monitored by the police

The security police followed Nzima though, and warned they were monitoring him. Resigned to a life out of journalism, Nzima turned to the family retail business and used his meagre savings to slowly built a modest bottlestore business.

"I eventually sold my cameras and closed off that part of my mind that was a photographer. But it would return to haunt me every year, around June 16, when everyone would republish Hector's picture and would phone to interview me about the day," remembers Nzima.

Although Nzima flirted with returning to journalism through a number of small local community-based newspapers, he repeatedly backed out in favour of his small but profitable family business.

That business now almost runs itself though, and Nzima has taken the plunge.

He got his first new camera two weeks ago after an enthusiastic local journalist convinced him to look through his lens again, and record the new world that martyrs like Peterson fought to achieve.

"The idea grabbed me. I have strong opinions on this. The youth of the 70's fought hard for this freedom. Today's youth must not waste it. They should have a 'hands on' approach, and not go cap in hand looking for jobs to be created for them," he says.

His joy with the new camera is infectious.

"I feel like a child again with a new toy. The energy is wonderful."

Nzima intends harnessing that energy and his new camera to build a new social documentary, provisionally titled "South Africa today through Sam Nzima's eyes" as the centre-piece for a planned new museum and gallery at his Lilliedale home, which is ideally situated in Limpopo near the Kruger National Park and Sabi Sands Game Reserves and can be marketed as an integral tourist destination in the area.

The new gallery will also, Nzima enthuses, be the perfect hub for a rural photographic workshop for the region's hundreds of street photographers.

"They're already documenting the realities of living in this new world. It's often hard and sad, but there are as many moments of pure joy," says Nzima. "My gallery will help visitors to our world into our lives, and will hopefully give some of these photographers a way back into the world as well."

Nzima knows, however, that fame can be unpleasant. For many years he regretted taking the Hector Peterson photograph because, not only was he hounded by the police, but it also didn't earn him a cent.

It took him 22 years of often bitter battle with his former mentors in the mainstream media to finally win copyright of his world famous image.

He now looks at it with pride, after former US president Bill Clinton pointed out to him that the picture, which is displayed at the United Nations High Commission in New York, is "bigger than you".

Nzima is also thrilled that government has built the Hector Peterson museum in Soweto itself, saying that Peterson represents all the children who died that day.

The day's events

"It was the day that the youth stood up and said enough is enough," says Sam Nzima.

He was briefed the day before by his editor, the late Percy Qoboza of The World Newspaper, to cover the story of a student march in Soweto.

It was 6:30 on June 16, 1976, when Nzima arrived at Naledi High School where the march began.

"The students were preparing banners. Three of the slogans that I can remember were 'Afrikaans must be abolished', 'We are being fed by crumbs of education' and 'We are certificated not educated'."

He photographed the group as the march began.

Most of the students had big smiles on their faces.

Neither they, nor Nzima, were aware of the historic event that was about to unfold.

A police convoy had arrived and Nzima heard one policeman shout a warning to the crowd to disperse within three minutes or the police would shoot.

Nzima immediately put on his 'press' armband, to identify himself as a journalist.

Suddenly a shot went off and the command was given, "Skiet, skiet!" (shoot, shoot!).

Nzima dived for cover and then picked himself up to start capturing the drama.

"I was the only photographer there at the time. Other photographers came when they heard the shots."

He photographed heavily armed policemen shooting live rounds into the crowd and the terrified children retaliating with stones and bottles and using dustbin-lids as shields.

Then, Nzima saw a young boy get shot, and fall to the ground.

As he tumbled a fellow student picked him up and began running towards Nzima.

The fallen boy's sister ran crying alongside.

Nzima froze that moment in time.

The children were running towards the only car parked in the street - Nzima's press car.

The driver helped them into the car and rushed them to the clinic nearby, but Peterson was certified dead on arrival.

Nzima knew the pictures he had taken were explosive, so he hurriedly removed the film and hid it in his sock.

He put a new film in the camera and took a few more pics, before a policeman turned on him.

"A policeman stopped me. He said, "Maak oop jou kamera jong!" (Open your camera, man!). I opened the camera and exposed all the film."

The other film remained safe the photo of Hector Peterson became an international symbol of the struggle for freedom in South Africa.

- African Eye