A picture is worth a thousand words, certainly. But, for South African photographer, Nzima, it also meant an end to his photography career on June 16, 1976, the day he shot the Pieta-like image during the Soweto uprising.
After the photo’s release he faced antagonism from the government for his truth, showing Hector Pieterson, a 13-year-old who was shot by police being carried off by family. Nzima, 75, feared the police rage over the image so he left his newspaper and photography career to start a small business in a much smaller town in South Africa.
Nzima is receiving the Order of Ikhamanga, which recognizes South Africans who excel in arts, culture, literature, music, journalism and sport.
“[the image] tells the story of what happened,” said Nzima, “You don’t even need a caption to see that something terrible has happened.”
Comments