Ruan Van Jaarsveldt and Armand Nel - South African Youth in Conversation
SAY (South African Youth in Conversation) is an intense and candid confrontation with issues surrounding South African youth. It shows a spectrum of identities, portraying their often misunderstood, contrasted, and contradicting ideals. Although the once racially segregated society now claims to live in unison, Armand Nel and Ruan Van Jaarsveldt turn to South Africa’s youngest generation to question whether there is true unity amongst South African citizens, or if such a statement simply eludes to equal voting rights.
Photographic portraits and interviews examine the differing personalities and cultures of young South African citizens. Here, Armand and Ruan’s aim is to portray how each individual is affected in a society where no particular group feels fulfilled. The simplistic nature of meeting by chance conversation ensures spontaneity and honesty in an area which is contrasted by its diversity. SAY’s photographs document the raw and unfiltered lives of South African Youth, showing how this nation has both grown and failed to grow in its infant democracy.
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-Alexa Fahlman
“People say if you grew up in Soweto, chances are you won’t make it. That’s bullshit. People make it in the Kalahari.”
“My tattoos represent the native Africans. You see, it represents knowing- being enlightened”
“The biggest problem is an inferiority complex. The kids feel like they can’t make it. They don’t feel like they’re worth much.”
“ I don’t think certain people fully understand what racism is and what it means, and the difference is in upbringing. I don’t think people truly grasp how it affects people.”
“Back then you can say there was Apartheid and all that, and it was painful. But people prayed, we prayed at school. We prayed at home. We carried a value system.”
“I was speaking to my waiter and he literary has two degrees. Two degrees and he is a waiter. Adults told us to study hard and that meant we’d definitely get a job. We study hard and there are no jobs. What now?”
