ZANELE MTHETHWA
A SEPHINDE agqama amagalelo owesifazane waseThekwini owasusa umsindo ngombukiso wezithombe eziveza impilo yezitabane njengoba ezohloniswa eMelika.
UZanele Muholi (44), waseMlazi, ungomunye wabathwebuli abazohlonishwa kuma-Infinity Awards eNew York ngo-Ephreli 11. Lo mcimbi uhlelwe yi-International Center of Photography, ememezele ngesonto eledlule ngokuhlonishwa kwakhe.
UMuholi naye ophila impilo yobutabane, ngo-2014 wethule incwadi esihloko sithi Faces and Phases, eveza izithombe zezitabane. Ukuhlonishwa kwakhe eMelika kuhambisana nemisebenzi ayenze emazweni ehlukene phesheya njengoba amagalelo akhe aziwa kakhulu khona.
Uthola izindaba zokuhlonishwa eMelika nje, kulindeleke athole nomunye umklomelo we-Outstanding International Alumni eRyerson University, eCanada.
“Ngibonga kakhulu kubo bonke abangesekile ngisaqala ukungena kulo mkhakha wokuthwebula. Ukuhlonishwa kwami ngendondo kusho ukuthi akumele ngiphumule kodwa ngizoqhubeka nokuqeqesha nabanye kulo mkhakha ukuze sisebenzise izithombe ukuveza zonke izinto ezithinta izimpilo zethu,” kusho uMuholi.
Le ntokazi edume ngokungesabi ukuzwakalisa umbono wayo, yaba sematheni ngo-2009 kuvela ukuthi uNksz Lulu Xingwana, owayenguNgqongqoshe wezobuCiko namaSiko, waduba umbukiso wezithombe zayo.
Lo mbukiso owawubizwa nge-Innovative Women eGoli, kwakumenywe noNksz Xingwana ukuzokwethula inkulumo, okuthe emuva kokubona izithombe zikaMuholi waduba. UXingwana wehluleka ukufihla egxeka uMuholi ngezithombe ezinye zazo ezaziveza abesifazane abayizitabane abathandanayo.
Nokho uMuholi lokhu akumthenanga amandla kunalokho wagxeka ungqongqoshe ngokufuna ukuthi kufihlwe izinto ezenzeka ngempela emphakathini, esho nokuthi isenzo sakhe asihambisani neNingizimu Afrika ekhululekile.
UMuholi, oneziqu zeMasters kuFine Arts, usemenywe emibukisweni eminingi ngenxa yezithombe zakhe ezingajwayelekile. Uke waba sembukisweni obuseBrooklyn Museum ngonyaka odlule, esikhungweni iSackler Centre for Femist Art okuyilapho abe-Infinity bembone khona ukuze bamhloniphe. Lezi zithombe zakhe azikhombise kulo mbukiso zibizwa nge Sibonelo/Evidence, okuyizithombe azishutha phakathi kuka-2007 no-2014, kuzoba okukhona nazishicilele encwadini i Faces and Phases. Kulezi zithombe ezikhuluma ngempilo yabamnyama abayizitabane, kukhona imishado yabo nezinye izigameko ezikhombisa ukucwaswa kwabo.
Eminye imiklomelo aseke ahlabanga ngayo kubalwa iFine Prize ngo-2013 kuCarnegie International, iPrince Claus Award ye-Index on Censorship, iFreedom of Expression Awards, iBest Female Photographer namanye amaningi, wonke awathole phesheya.
Kusukela ethule incwadi yakhe ngo-2014 uphinde waqoqa ezinye izithombe azibiza nge Somnyama Ngonyama esezishicilelwe naku New York Times.