If you are ever in Paternoster, the charming fishing village on South Africa’s West Coast, you may notice something special happening. The children there are not simply running along the beach — they are telling their own stories, one photograph at a time.
Thanks to a new partnership between the Muholi Art Institute, the MaseKhaya Foundation and West Coast Kids — backed by cultural advocate Jo-Ann Strauss — local children have spent a week learning photography and storytelling. And not from just anyone. They have been guided by world-renowned visual activist Zanele Muholi, who recently received the prestigious Hasselblad Award.
The idea is beautifully simple: instead of adults photographing children or speaking for them, why not place cameras in their own hands? Let them document their families, their homes, and their hopes. That is exactly what has happened. Over the past week, young participants have been learning about composition, portraiture, and visual literacy — all while building confidence and having fun.
The programme, called Photo XP, has already worked wonders in communities such as Vredendal and Swellendam, led by artist-facilitators including celebrated photographer Lindeka Qampi.
Now, these children are becoming the authors of their own narratives. Soon, the public will be able to see the results. A public exhibition is planned in Paternoster, with another showing at the Strandloper Ocean Boutique Hotel. The photographs promise to be intimate, joyful, and deeply authentic.
Jo-Ann Strauss puts it beautifully: “This project has been about giving children the confidence to see themselves as storytellers, artists and creators.”
It is a small grassroots effort with global resonance. Local roots, but universal themes: identity, belonging and the power of a young person’s voice. Sometimes, all it takes is a camera and a little belief.
