Ayesha Kazim

Cultures of Resistance Awardee — South Africa

Ayesha Kazim is a freelance photographer whose work includes portraiture, documentary, and editorial. Growing up, she lived and studied in fourteen countries. This experience, in addition to her multicultural background as a British Nigerian-South African living abroad, motivates her to use photography as a mechanism for storytelling in an effort to unite different communities through art. Through image-making, she aims to portray people of color in positions of strength and power, while also evoking a sense of vulnerability.

Kazim received a Cultures of Resistance Award (CoR Award) and is using the award to support her ongoing series, “This Home of Ours.” The project serves to establish a contemporary time capsule of the Bo Kaap neighborhood’s rich history within Cape Town, South Africa. At a time when both an influx of foreign residents and the Covid-19 pandemic are endangering the livelihood of many residents, this series seeks to provide a platform that amplifies the voices of community members and chronicles their experiences for future generations. She is also using the award to distribute resources to the Bo Kaap Cultural Hub and Bo Kaap Community Garden, two organizations she documented and worked with throughout the pandemic.

Visit her website here to learn more about her work.

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