Rashid Lombard: capturing resistance and celebration in SA

THE click of a camera shutter and the improvisation of a jazz saxophone may seem worlds apart. Yet, in the hands of South African photojournalist and cultural organiser Rashid Lombard, they became inseparable instruments of resistance and celebration.

- SIONA O'CONNELL

Born in Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha) in 1951, Lombard began his journey as a photographer during one of the most turbulent periods in South African history.

He documented pivotal moments in the country’s journey towards democracy, including the release of former president Nelson Mandela in 1990 and South Africa's first democratic elections in 1994.

I am an African Studies scholar working at the intersection of creativity, memory and restorative justice. His work came into sharp focus when I conceptualised and curated the exhibition Martyrs, Saints and Sellouts: The Photographs of Benny Gool, Adil Bradlow and Zubeida Vallie in 2013.

Lombard’s death at age 74 marks the end of a life that synced visual documentation of struggle with devotion to the music that sustained - and critically examined - what came after.

The journey of a photographer

Like so many in South Africa, Lombard's childhood was shattered by the impact of the Group Areas Act of 1950 that segregated South Africans by race. It eviscerated his multicultural boyhood. In 1962, when he was 11, his family relocated to Cape Town.

After completing his schooling, he first trained as an architectural draughtsman before moving into industrial photography, beginning his career at a large construction company. He would become a respected photojournalist.

His camera became a witness, capturing not just the dramatic moments of political upheaval, but the humanity of ordinary people living under extraordinary oppression.