Recording history: Sixty seconds with Peter Magubane

21 June 2016 - 10:49 By Rea Khoabane

How many pictures did you take on that historical day?There are 130 in the book so you can imagine, I took hundreds.What went through your mind as you took the pictures?The realisation that I simply had to document the horror of what the police were capable of.Would you change any of the photographic ''memories" you took from that day?You can never forget the injured and the dead, but I would not change even those ''memories" because I know I was the messenger recording how it was for people that weren't there to witness the event .Do you ever feel guilty about taking photographs of people in their darkest moments?No, I don't. Because a struggle without documentation would result in no history.Which one of the photos stands out for you?The one I call "The Young Lions". These were very brave young boys leading a charge to prevent me from taking pictures. I related my opinion about documenting history and they agreed to allow the press to record whatever happened.How do the youth of 1976 differ from the youth of today?The youth then were fighting apartheid. The fight is different today.What impact are you hoping the book will have?I hope people everywhere will realise the sacrifices that youngsters made 40 years ago so that we have our freedom today. The book was launched at Museum Africa..

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