Finding the Story

Posted in General Posts, Methods by Nathan Clendenin on August 5th, 2005

This week 32 people will be buried in just one graveyard in Mamelodi. On Saturday I will shoot the majority of the funerals that will take place more or less simultaneously. After that’s over I’m heading to the airport to pick up my friend Will Brown (since we met at L’abri back in 2001, we’ve been doing trips) and then straight to a wedding that Vincent is officiating. I am looking forward to Will’s visit, and our excursion to Capetown next week. It will be good to take a step back from this project and see where I am what I need to accomplish in the last 10 days I am here.

In a story as obvious as “People are dying of AIDS in pandemic proportions” it takes some thinking to avoid the obvious pictures. My struggle so far has been to search outside the box for little moments and images that keep things interesting. Since the last post Vincent and I have been all over the place (Vincent has been the biggest help). He’s really making the process much easier and is always cheerful and laughing. We’ve interviewed an AIDS orphan, prayed for AIDS victims in their home, been to the graveyard a few times, talked to many different people and even visited a barbershop today (see pic of man with baby). One of the side stories I am hoping to pursue is about the many little shops people have set up to earn a living. This is how they fight poverty, through innovation and entrepreneurship. Poverty is the real problem here, not AIDS.

Originally posted on Vicarious Summer Blog