Ayanda Ngcobo, STEOS BATTLE WITH MALE EXPRESSION, 2023, Photograph, 117 x 166 mm each
This documentary project titled: STEOS BATTLE WITH MALE EXPRESSION is based on the narration gender issues. Being a young man who grew up in a Zulu-cultural milieu in KwaZulu-Natal, where elders established some views like "Indoda ayikhali," or a man is not supposed to cry, means a man must always be strong no matter what. The project aims to convey the idea that, as a male, sometimes expressing regarding how you feel does not render you weak or less of a man. In fact, letting out the suffering inside could discourage suicide. The project's theme is "Tough / Strong." and the images featured in it, refer to "Imbokodwe," a metaphor for being strong and tough like a man. Because Imbokwendwe means "female," it refers to the opposite of how society expects men to act, which is more sensitive and emotional. The experiences I encountered while growing up in a Zulu-cultural society have impacted the project.
Ayanda Ngcobo