RC: Why is this documentation so vital?
GK: Because history isn’t always easily accessible, and in some cases, whole chapters are omitted. For example, before starting this project, I knew that horses had been a part of my culture and people for generations; however, I didn’t know that the first horses to set foot in Cape Town were Javanese (Sumbawan) ponies. There was a time when these horses were quoted as being ‘as necessary as bread’ for the development of the land.
South African horse culture, particularly among coloured and black communities, has often been overlooked, erased, or stereotyped in dominant narratives. Without active documentation, our traditions risk further disappearance, remembered only in fragments or anecdotes lacking context. By taking photos and telling stories, I like to believe that we resist invisibility.
Extract taken from House and Leisure, Volume 18. Get a copy here
