Photographer puts black township in the picture

Rolf Moser in front of his recording studios in South Africa swissinfo.ch

A Swiss fashion photographer has set up a private aid project in a black township in South Africa.

Rolf Moser, from the lakeside town of Zug, says his life was transformed after moving to Crossroads, near Cape Town.

“I have two lives: one before South Africa and one after South Africa,” Moser told swissinfo.

“I used to lead a fast life. It’s slowed down quite a lot now but living here has broadened my horizons significantly,” the 44-year-old added.

Moser first began working in South Africa in 1994, when he was asked by the Swiss embassy to stage one of his exhibitions in Cape Town. The same year, he was also commissioned to take pictures of the country’s first democratic elections.

“I had direct contact with black people and I learnt a lot about the historic end of apartheid and the transition to democracy,” he said.

Shacks

It was when Moser returned to South Africa a year later for an advertising campaign that he met Lennox Mzolisi Rwanga, who lived in Crossroads.

“Back then a friendship between a white and a black guy was still pretty unusual, even though it was after the end of apartheid,” Moser told swissinfo.

“But we still became friends and he invited me to visit him in Crossroads the following January.”

Moser says he was struck by the fact that over two-thirds of the shacks in the 20,000-strong community were made of corrugated iron.

“I was shocked by the poor living conditions and I was determined to do something about it,” Moser said.

Clothes collection

“[At the start] it was pretty tough being the only white person here. It took some time for the locals to trust and accept me. But now I can move freely around the township.”

In 1997, Moser staged an exhibition about the South African elections in Zug, during which he also collected clothes for Crossroads’ inhabitants.

But he soon realised that these measures brought only short-term relief.

“It is important to create jobs for the people and this is what I am trying to achieve through the Uxolo Network Community Project.”

Township tourism

The Uxolo Network was founded in 1997 with the opening of a leather workshop.

“We had three paid employees who made leather bags and belts to be sold in local shops,” he explains.

Moser’s next move was the launch of a “township tourism” project.

“We paid to train up tour guides and in 2000 we founded “Yizobona Tours” – Yizobona means “come and see” in the local Xhosa language.”

“We are doing quite well thanks to a rising number of tourists who want to see the inside of a township. And the nice thing is that tourists and locals actually interact,” he says proudly.

Township sounds

Seven years on, Moser is focusing on turning his aid organisation into a profitable business, which is one of the reasons why he decided to set up a music project.

“The young people in the township are very talented and I’m currently working with about 200 young musicians.”

Moser adds that the project is also designed to stop youngsters turning to crime – still a major problem in the township. “Not long ago two young people who I knew very well were shot dead,” Moser said.

But Moser says that these incidents are not enough to deter him from working in Crossroads.

“There is still a lot to be done and I love my work here,” he said. “I have decided to build up Uxolo and stay here.”

swissinfo, Jean-Michel Berthoud, Cape Town

Key facts

1997: Rolf Moser founded the Uxolo Network Community Project.
1998: The Uxolo Network gained official recognition by the authorities.
2000: Yizobona Tours is founded.