My name is Elise Becker, and I’m almost 17. I’m passionate about photography and videography, and I bring my Canon 200D with me everywhere.
In the summer of 2019, I went on a “road trip” in South Africa. I had to bring my camera to conserve these memories in my SD card. I mainly visited villages, where I met a girl my age with her baby, and little boys who were on horses, donkeys, or their own feet, for an hour every morning and night to study and hope for a better future than their parents who never left their hometowns due to lack of money and opportunities.
The natives spent their days going back and forth, from village to village, to sell their few harvests to fulfill their needs and those of their children. I decided to photograph these families from close and far. I mainly captured those who touched me the most, and that I didn’t want to forget. I also produced a short film with the theme “black and white, another world” to show the difference between our home and theirs.
I went there without knowing what I was going to experience. The inhabitants of South Africa are their own inspirations. They are so serene, and at the end of the day you just want to stay there instead of returning back to your comfortable lifestyle. You can’t leave a place like this as the same person. It’s sort of like a movie that you watch that changed you, except that it’s real.
The poverty over there is important to me, because it helped me understand that no matter the lifestyle, these people are always happy and full of good vibes. Where I’m from we have so many things to live for, yet we’re still complaining when we don’t have the latest iPhone. These people gave me a different perspective on life, and that’s what really inspired me to take these pictures.
Due to COVID-19, these populations are even more at risk. They can’t afford masks, don’t have access to proper healthcare… If you are able, please consider making a small donation to Care France, who has collaborated with 6 other NGOs for donations.
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