Emile Ebrahim Kelly

Blow ya horn!

I’ve gone a bit cold on shooting over the last few days, I’m itching to get out and shoot a few longer stories, rather than a single interview every day. Not being able to get out of the city bowl and into the suburbs has been really disappointing, because one of the main things I wanted to shoot was the World Cup being experienced in different places, away from the stadium and city center, and I haven’t been able to do that. But at least I’ve now realised that I’m not going to be able to get much more done over here until I can drive. I need to get back into shooting, so I will restart the Daily Dispatch from tomorrow and will hopefully be able to get transport to go and shoot my longer stories over the next week. In the mean time here’s a bit of stuff from in and around the stadium last weekend, click the images below to launch little galleries.

Police - click image to launch gallery

Crowd inside the stadium - click image to launch gallery

half time around the stadium - click image to launch gallery

Smoker - click image to launch gallery

The boys leaving - click image to launch gallery

Deano, 19 - Click for words and more images

Willy and Deano are coaches down at African Brothers Football Acadamy. They are both from Beira, Mozambique, and were living on the streets in Cape Town before starting to work at ABFA. Craig, or “Coach”, now lets them stay at the academy. They are great guys who have clearly had to work ridiculously hard to get to where they’re at today, but life still isn’t easy for them. I’ve got a lot I want to write about them and Craig, who i’m going to interview today, but I’ve got to shoot out. Just wanted to get the images up quickly, Expect an update later today/this eve. Some outtakes below

Willy, 18

Willy and Deano

Deano

Deano

Willy

Willy

Willy

Ken from New Mexico, USA - Click image for words

Images and interviews from the last 3 days. It’s getting a bit hard to put stuff up because the internet situation here is a bit messy.

Patricia from Guguletu - Click image for words

Gerry Batson, 27, from North London - Click image for words

John from Bonteheuwel - Click image for words

John from Bonteheuwel - Click image for words

Japan, Canterbury Street, Cape Town, Click image to read interview

I was sitting on some steps watching life go by when Japan walked past, he saw my camera and demanded I take his photograph. He then sat down and went through the images on the back of my camera to make sure I knew which ones he liked. So I thought I should probably interviewed him, and although he was obviously drunk, he managed to be pretty coherent. Aftwerward he asked for some change, so I gave him the R15 I had in my pocket.

Jennifer, Seapoint, Cape Town, Click image to read interview

I met Jennifer in Seapoint, which is home to a lot of older well off retirees. It’s mainly apartment blocks and Cafe’s along a sea front stretch, the main road behind the apartments used to be a little bit seedy, lots of prostitution and petty crime, but seems to have cleaned itself up over the past few years. The beautiful new World Cup stadium is nearby in Greenpoint, so the less desirable individuals and businesses have probably been shifted elsewhere as a result.

Seapoint, Cape Town

Valentino Rasper, 32, Fire fighter, Click image for words

It’s difficult to get go out and find an interesting portrait/story on England match days, I get too caught up in the drinking and excitement. Today I chatted to Valentino, a fire fighter down at the fan park. Click his image to read his words.

So far I’ve been working mainly in the City Bowl, which I will continue to do, but I feel I need to get out of the action and in to the suburbs to get the more interesting stories. This is difficult as i don’t drive, but I’m going to try and make it happen. A friend suggested getting to Athlone to do a story about the stadium there. Athlone stadium is Cape Town Ajax’s home, and was initially supposed to be the stadium and area for development in Cape Town, but it is quite a deprived place and I think they chickened out. As a result, Cape Town has a fantastic stadium in Green Point that won’t see much use after the World Cup, and the opportunity to develop a needy area has been missed.

Thapelo from the Eastern Cape, click for interview

I wasn’t able to do a portrait and interview yesterday because my battery ran out, but I did 3 today. Click images for words.

Marshallina and Aidy, click for words

David, Click image for interview

Faisal, 59 - Bo Kaap, Cape Town

Today i met Faisal in the Bo Kaap, which is historically a working class Muslim area in town, although there is a quite a bit of gentrification going on at the moment. As i walked around with him it became clear he was a bit of an eccentric character, its fair to say he liked a conspiracy theory! But everyone in the Bo Kaap knew him and stopped to say “Salam Alaikum”. To read his words launch the gallery by clicking the image to the write (Caleb from yesterday) then click Next, either with the mouse or the N key.

Caleb, 33 - Company's Gardens, Cape Town - Click image for words

I met and interviewed/photographed Caleb today in the gardens in town. he was chilling out on the grass having spent the afternoon on the internet at the library. Caleb is homeless and a working carpenter, click his image (on the right) to read his story and see the image larger.

England 0, Algeria 0, Football 0

I arrived quite late in the day yesterday, so it was straight out to the England match without being able to start my daily dispatch portrait/interview series. Despite being one of the worst football matches I’ve ever witnessed in my life, it was still an amazing atmosphere and experience. The Coons were out in full force: Brass band troupes in matching colourful outfits and blackface (Its a traditional carnival with a complicated history that confuses tourists).

I didn’t start my portrait series because I very definitely don’t want to interview a load of drunk fans (especially when I’m one of them), I think there’s enough people out here doing that. I will start the series today and put it up this afternoon/evening. Having seen the Coons out and being reminded of  the complexity of that whole thing, I think I want to do a piece about it at some point in the next week, so look out for that.