Vrystaat Jan 09: Erika (Limited Edition) & CJ (Why, Why, Why) & Soekie the angry Dog
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Halfway between Plettenberg Bay and Knysna (along the Garden Route in SA) there are always some informal flower sellers along the N2 motorway. They sell Proteas and other indigenous flowers picked from the virgin forests in this area.
I paid them and their settlement a visit last week, and was introduced to some other members of this community of Vrystaat by one of the village elders, William Henry Manual.
This is Erika Jenniker, her son CJ and their dog Soekie. They live in a timber house, with a caravan attached as an second bedroom. This was shot in the alley between the front door and the caravan. I asked them to kneel down, as to avoid direct sunlight.
Her husband Attie, like most of the men from their community, work in the plantations.
Apparently the name Vrystaat (translated Free State, and not to be confused with a province in SA by the same name), was decided on as a reference to the fact that they function as a self-sufficient community. Most have jobs, and they grow a fair amount of their own vegetables etc. They are devout Christians, with a little church of their own, and have no transits or 'inkomers'/outsiders - very much like Green Valley in the previous upload.

Tags: Photo journalism Black and white Portraits and people

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