In a career spanning over half a century, Jurgen
Schadeberg has become much more than a visual
storyteller. He arrived in South Africa from war
torn Berlin in 1950 and his unique position as an
outsider allowed him access to both the black and
white communities of the era. A prolific
photographer and filmmaker, he captured the rise
of the freedom movement, apartheid repression
and the vibrancy of township life and culture. He
was responsible for creating a photography
department at Drum Magazine and training a
number of talented and successful black
photographers. Schadeberg’s photographs focus
on key social, cultural and political events and
personalities in South Africa’s turbulent history and
the prevalent cultural and political chasms that
dominated there. Curated by Kenneth Montague.

Schadeberg’s film on photojournalist Ernest Cole
will be screened at NFB Cinema on May 15.