The Grandmother Spirit

Africa has an overwhelming number of children orphaned by AIDS and it is the Grandmothers who have stepped into the breech. I will photograph these remarkable women who somehow find the strength and courage to persevere against all odds.

I am going to photograph the silent heroines in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa, the old women who somehow find the strength and courage to persevere in seemingly impossible situations, against all odds.

Sub-Saharan Africa has an overwhelming number of children orphaned by AIDS — an estimated 13 million, and it is the Grandmothers who have stepped into the breech.

I have seen it first hand, having worked in Sub Saharan Africa since 2002. Amidst this devastation, traumatized by enormous loss and suffering without pretense or overt demands, they simply care for children who are alone, abandoned, bewildered and confused.

These are mothers returned to maternity, in a way they could never have imagined. For many, in extreme poverty with virtually no food, sometimes no shelter and without the money for school fees and uniforms, they move forward raising the Grandchildren. Many Grandmothers work all day in the field and must often travel great distances by foot for water and food, or get to the market or clinic.

Where do they find the strength? How do they keep the positive attitudes I most often encounter? These are questions I seek answers to through my work, which requires spending much time with my subjects so I can be there to capture the iconic natural moments that best reflect my vision of The Grandmother Spirit, without manipulation or overt intervention.

These dramatic, real moment- portraits will be captured at various times of the day and night in high resolution, so they can be printed larger than life on tapestry (six foot by four foot) to adequately and permanently communicate the enormity of strength of character I have witnessed and to provide viewers a sense of the real scale in the daily lives of these women and their Grandchildren.

Along with revealing documentary portraits of daily life will be images that highlight the connection between the Grandmother and her Grandchildren. Photographic details, still lives and landscapes will be woven into the final collection, capturing the mystery and magic of place, and the universal, inexorable connection between the very young and the very old. I will work in color, which I feel is more accessible and allows the viewer to connect more closely with the work and its subjects.

I have been inspired immensely by the many African Grandmothers I have met. I will capture the spirit of these remarkable women, which I’m sure will inspire those who see the work.

Africa is a continent where 800 million people live in 54 countries, speaking 2,000 languages. There are so many rich and diverse histories and cultures it is a place that defies generalization, except for one. Grandmothers have become the heart of the response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, taking care of a generation of children who represent the future and hope for Africa.

Grandmothers are the repositories of culture, tradition and family history. Yet they are haunted by the future and what will happen to their grandchildren after they cannot work and when they die.

Through my work I intend to illuminate the specific strength of The Grandmother Spirit; the power and energy generated through love; the resilience they demonstrate and the inspiration they provide.

I plan to visit: Cape Town, South Africa; Butare and Kigali, Rwanda; Masaka, Uganda; Maseru, Lesotho; Maputo, Mozambique and Lilongwe, Malawi.

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