Sabelo Mlangeni
South African, born 1980
“Rings, Arthur and Thando,” Country Girls Series
2003
Photograph
Collection of Sabelo Mlangeni
Queerness is not geographically defined. South African photographer Sabelo Mlangeni makes this observation in his Country Girls series. Mlangeni explored gay life in the townships of rural South Africa over the course of six years and gained unprecedented access to a small but vibrant community that continues to thrive in the context of violence against queer individuals. In this photograph Mlangeni invites the viewer to reflect on feelings of love. A hand tenderly lies over another as the light catches on the rings on their fingers. Love is flourishing in the South African countryside. Mlangeni’s work highlights how queer South Africans are creating loving relationships despite the hardships of being queer in rural areas. Love knows no bounds.
Saidou Camara ’19
Bibliography
Graziano, K.J. 2004. “Oppression and resiliency in a post-apartheid South Africa: Unheard voices of Black gay men and lesbians.” Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology 10, no.3: 302-316.
K.J. Graziano uses documentary photography and storytelling to examine the lives of black gay men and women, finding that despite oppression, they shows strength and optimism for the future.
Hayes, Patricia. 2007. “Power, Secrecy, Proximity: A Short History of South African Photography.” Kronos, no. 33: 139-162.
Patricia Hayes gives an overview of South Africa’s history with photography with a particular focus on structures of power, secrecy, and proximity to subjects.
Livermon, Xavier. 2012. “Queer(y)ing Freedom: Black Queer Visibilities in Postapartheid South Africa.” GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies 18, no. 2-3: 297-323.
In this article, Livermon, explores how black queer bodies in South Africa challenge the sociocultural construct that is freedom and how they reveal the possibilities and contradictions of postapartheid South Africa.
Reid, Graeme. “Sabelo Mlangeni: Country Girls.” Michael Stevenson Gallery. http://archive.stevenson.info/exhibitions/mlangeni/countrygirls/index.htm
This webpage provides more details on Sabelo Mlangeni’s Country Girls series.
