design indaba: cape town-based photographer kyle weeks captures the dangerous practice of palm wine collecting in namibia. the ancient cultural tradition involves extracting the sweet, milky, white sap from various palm tree species by fastening a container to their flower stump. the process is risky as it requires tappers (people who collect sap) to scale the towering trees in order to gather the beverage.
kyle weeks, spent months in the kunene region of namibia to document the custom in which members of the dynamic himba culture climb up palms the height of tall buildings daily. while the practice is illegal in namibia, the himba people believe in its value as a traditional practice. in his series ‘palm wine collectors‘, weeks candidly captures the tappers as they go about their collecting, letting them direct their movements and poses so that they contribute to the final composition of the image; thus using his photography to empower african traditions.
‘contemporary african photography aims to establish new narratives and identities, both personal and cultural; my work is often influenced by its past and present uses, as I hope to produce work that drives important dialogue on documentary photography as well as the ethics of representing cultural ‘difference’,’ he has been
read more about creativity in africa on design indaba here: www.designindaba.com/african-design
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design indaba
is a multifaceted platform committed to a better world through creativity. the south-african online publication hosts an annual festival and social impact do tank in cape town. the design indaba festival has been created by ravi naidoo in 1995, with focus on african and global creativity, through the lens of the work and ideas of leading thinkers and doers, opinion formers, trendsetters and industry experts.
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