Picturing Xenophobia: Photojournalism and Xenophobic Violence in South Africa

Abstract

This chapter is distinctive in the sense that it is a transcript of an interview that one of the editors, Dumisani Moyo, had with two leading South African photojournalists, Alon Skuy and James Oatway. The two are renowned for producing some of the most iconic headline photographs on xenophobic violence in South Africa over the past decade, highlighting the role of photojournalism in mediating the reality of xenophobia. The interview explores the ethical dimensions of photojournalism in conflict situations and the power dynamics that take place in the image selection processes at various levels, from the field to publication stage. By focusing on how individual photojournalists struggle or deal with the trauma of capturing some of the grisly moments of xenophobic violence, the interviewer demonstrates the tensions experienced in an attempt to serve the public interest, while at the same time protecting society from images of graphic and gratuitous violence. The photojournalists provide rare and interesting insights that are both reflective and self-critical when reporting on the phenomenon of xenophobia in South Africa.