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Ntate

@ntatephakela

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solace in community by @ntatephakela

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2 months ago

It was 2021 when Liso opened her hands to us and fed us. I know this because it was also the last time I took my Pentax K1000 out into the world…and that alone tells you something about the nature of that day. I cannot tell you what the food tasted like. The tongue forgets, but the heart does not. What I remember is how unguarded I was, how whole. Full of a joy that asked no questions of itself, the way a child is joyful…without knowing why, and without needing to know. The food was so good I forgot to take pictures of it. And besides, I had no interest in winding a 40 year old camera while people were busy enjoying their aubergine rollatini. It was there that I first met Nhlanhla. I now count him among the people I hold dear. And there was another who came that day. An angel, I called him then. I have written of him before, for those who have been around long enough to remember. There was wine. I was slow to ask its name. Afraid, I think, that the answer would make it ordinary. So I let it be nameless. It was exceptional. My hair was out in a full afro then. Believe this if you will. It wasn't healthy looking, nor was it decently styled, but I had hair, at least. There is something to be said for that. The day ended with us sitting at a fireplace, plates empty, stomachs full, wine dwindling and conversation going strong. When I finally left, I was certain that the day could not have been more perfect. taken in Johannesburg, South Africa by @ntatephakela

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7 months ago

☕️ by @ntatephakela

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4 months ago

before the rains came, before the sun hid behind dancing clouds. ☀️ by @ntatephakela

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5 months ago

black love. by @ntatephakela

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7 months ago

Where I Have Sat

I have been a student of chairs.
Wooden ones with splintered patience,
plastic ones whitening in the sun,
iron ones that remember the cold
long after the morning has forgiven it.
I have sat in rooms that did not belong to me
until I rested there long enough.
Sat facing windows,
sat with my back to doors,
sat between strangers
who would never know my name
but shared the same horizon.
Each place kept the imprint
for a second after I rose
a warmth, a shifting of air,
the soft rearranging of space
around absence.
Chairs are witnesses.
They hold what we cannot
the waiting,
the thinking,
the almost leaving.
And in every place I have been seated,
the world has moved around me
like light around a still figure,
as if to say:
you were here.

Video by @dianavives_works by @ntatephakela

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8 months ago

Brotherhood. by @ntatephakela

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8 months ago

🤍 by @ntatephakela

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8 months ago

My mother loves Easter services. She made sure to bring us with this time around. I’m actually enjoining myself. I feel at home. I love the music, everyone sings so well together. My mother asked me to take a picture of her when they called them up. She’s graduating. She’s gets to wear the red garments now. I’m not quite sure what the differences are but I’m happy…I’m happy that she’s happy.

‘Ndine Ndawo Yam’’ 2021
Dedicated to my lovely mother, Senzi Phakela
Footage courtesy of Nomzamo Methodist Church [Circuit 0339] taken in Vosloorus by @ntatephakela

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5 years ago

by @ntatephakela

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9 months ago

P.s Thank you Oscar for a wonderful dinner @chegrill_jhb by @ntatephakela

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9 months ago

cape touchdown. by @ntatephakela

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a year ago