Montsho

Montsho explores the impact of skin tone on colorism within families, racism and racial socialization among South African adolescents. Colorism and racism have been part of the African discourse for over a century. Both have historically been two of the primary sources of differentiation and inequality among black Africans. Families display a preference for lighter skin in that lighter skin daughters receive preferential treatment of higher quality of parenting, this is due to historical preference for lighter skin— particularly among women. In South Africa a spectrum of words is used to describe each shade of skin color, commonly used in a racial context. The primary one being ‘Montsho’ meaning black is used in a derogatory manner to describe a dark person as a result of their skin tone. The concept of “dark is ugly” has been wrongly and unfairly imposed upon a race of people and has found a place in the minds of the people themselves. As a result, many find themselves using harmful chemicals to satisfy these impossible standards; erasing their color, and subjecting themselves to potential harm. This series opens conversations around the representation of the black body and black lives as a subject matter and challenges the idea that Blackness is homogenous. For me these photographs are both about destruction and preservation, it’s about what we choose to embrace after going through trauma