Culture shock for Brazilian photographer attending Winnie Madikizela-Mandela's memorial

A Brazilian photographer on a workshop in South Africa on Saturday told TimesLIVE of the culture shock she has experienced in the manner in which the country bade farewell to Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

“It’s been amazing because I got to see different things‚” Renata Larroyd told TimesLIVE from the Orlando Stadium where Madikizela-Mandela’s funeral service was underway.

“I have seen people singing and dancing and celebrating their cultures where in Brazil‚ it would have been more mourning than celebrating. It also wouldn’t have lasted this many days‚” Larroyd said.

“I think the South Africans are also in mourning but they are doing it in a different way. It’s more a celebration [of her life]‚” she added.

Larroyd has been in South Africa for the last two months on a photography workshop with the Market Theatre Foundation.

Speaking to TimesLIVE‚ Larroyd expressed honour at covering the Madikizela-Mandela’s memorial services and funeral over the last 10 days.

“I have never seen such a celebration in Brazil. The last time I saw something like this was with Princess Diana’s funeral and that was on television‚” Larroyd said.

While she had heard of South Africa being a rainbow nation‚ Larroyd said she found it disturbing that there were not a lot of white people in the crowd that had come to bid Madikizela-Mandela farewell.

“I don’t see a lot of white people and that is disturbing. I have asked about it but they have given me books to be read about her to form my opinion because some believe she was militant. I don’t have any opinions yet but I want to observe‚” Larroyd said.

White people‚ coloured people and black people whom she had asked about Madikizela-Mandela all had different opinions about her.

Larroyd told TimesLIVE that while apartheid had been abolished‚ she felt there was still a lot of segregation that existed in the country‚ adding that she found it weird to be the only white person in a taxi or the only one socialising in certain areas in places such as Newtown.