I know, I know- this looks like a ghastly choice for a photo challenge. It lacks any visual interest whatsoever. Frankly, it’s just plain boring.
But not everything is so clear-cut black and white.
This is a photo I took on Robben Island, off the coast of Cape Town in South Africa. I was in tears when I snapped the shutter, faced with how terribly we humans can bear to treat one another.
My not-very-great picture shows the inside of Nelson Mandela’s jail cell: the same walls that held President Mandela for nineteen years while he was known simply as Number 46664. For thirty years, from 1961 to 1991, Robben Island served as a maximum security prison for political (and criminal) prisoners, many of whom had been held for protesting the legal racial segregation encouraged under apartheid.
With Mandela’s recent passing on Thursday, there’s been well-deserved focus on his life and on his legacy promoting a color-blind democracy.
For the most part, I liked the idea of the above photo being in black and white for obvious figurative reasons and because it conveys the starkness of Robben Island itself.
But a part of me doesn’t want any of the apartheid-era photos to be shown in black and white- I worry that this vintage look dates apartheid, unfairly associating it with a long-ago past.
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” Nelson Mandela
I’ve shared much of my experience exploring Robben Island and South Africa’s apartheid past, but a small personal remembrance of President Mandela’s legacy felt imperative!
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If you feel like joining in and sharing a window into your life experiences, I’d be super excited!
Your mission, should you choose to accept:
Show us what ‘black and white’ means to you… it can be your favorite black & white shot or something more figurative!
Just tag your post with “Window Into,” and post a link in the comments section so we can find you! I can’t wait to see your interpretation of black & white!
https://seekingjohn1010.wordpress.com/2013/12/11/window-into-black-white/ Hey there...I can actually share something this time. Hehehe..have a good day!
Loved your 'window into black & white,' Jenn! There's something about black & white that seems to imbue a photograph with meaning and memory, and I loved that all three of the shots you showcased had such significance to you!
Beautiful blog post!! I like your black and white photo comments dating the issue.
Thank you so much, Michelle! (Is it terrible that I keep wanting to address you as "wench"? :} That can't be right...) It was that bottom picture of the sign at Robben Island that made me realize what a big effect color (or lack thereof) has in making me feel more or less connected to an issue. Thanks again for stopping by!
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