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Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
February 26, 2006
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| January 29, 2006 |
The Camera: His Weapon Against Apartheid – Victor Matom |
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| Victor Matom and his wife Sueyama Naoko address Peace Boat participants. |
The 1976 Soweto Riots outside Johannesburg marked a turning point in the global anti-apartheid struggle. The apartheid regime’s attempt to impose Afrikaans as the official language was met by a defiant uprising from the black population and it’s supporters. At the time, Victor Matom was a young teenager who joined in on the unrest and civil disobedience. Frustrated by how “they treated us in our own country”, Victor felt “anger and frustration.” Young Victor witnessed how a number of friends, neighbors and relatives were killed or injured by the apartheid police force. Such environment of violence fueled his anger, which led him to eventually join the Umkhonto we Sizwe - the armed guerilla movement determined to eliminate the segregationist governmental system. |
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| Victor’s renowned photographs have detailed life in Soweto during both pre- and post-apartheid eras. This image was awarded the Mother Jones Award in the US. |
At the same time, Victor felt an uncanny allure towards the power of images. A self-taught photographer, Victor saved the little money he had in order to buy himself a simple camera. From a young age, he realized a large percentage of township dwellers lacked education and hence the illiteracy rate was very high. Just as protest songs have played a major role in educating and inspiring the anti-apartheid movement, Victor perceives photography “as a medium that can be understood universally, one which doesn’t require the need to read.” So, as the apartheid government prohibited black photojournalists, Victor became determined to use his photographs in order to “pass on knowledge.” As he states, “instead of picking up a gun, I decided to pick up a camera and show the world what was happening.” |
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| The Matom family: Victor, Kaya, Naoko and Neo. |
During our current voyage, Victor and his family came onboard for a few days between Cape Town and Walvis Bay, Namibia. During the late 1980’s, Victor’s photography had become world famous, and it opened doorways for him to meet with representatives from international anti-apartheid solidarity movements. This is how he met his to-be wife, Sueyama Naoko, a highly involved anti-apartheid activist in Japan during the 1980’s and 1990’s. Along with their children Neo and Kaya, the Matoms provided participants with a fascinating chronicle, as the children constitute a true rarity in their community because of their mixed background. Despite becoming a renowned figure, Victor and his family still live in Soweto and are intent on remaining there. |
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