Phakathi recognises that photography is a double-edged sword, that it can be wielded as a tool for propaganda and misinformation, particularly when examining Africa’s colonial history. But he also believes it possesses the unique ability to reveal the unseen, making it a powerful catalyst for lasting change and transformation. And Phakathi was drawn to the medium because of its unparalleled ability to evoke emotion, and transcend linguistic and cultural barriers. ‘It can cut through all the noise unlike any other visual art,’ he says.
Xenophobia, as Phakathi defines it, is the systematic erasure of identity, an insidious process that dehumanises entire communities. He emphasises that this issue is not confined to Africa, pointing out, ‘Xenophobia is a complex issue, especially in South Africa where there is a significant number of foreign nationals from the continent. However, this is not an African issue but a global one, as we’ve seen this practice of erasure deployed on every continent, in recent history. Through photography, I am wanting to highlight this perpetual erasure and the subsequent uncertainty of belonging that occurs.’
Phakathi has drawn inspiration from Aime Cesaire’s concept of ‘thingification’, which focuses on the commodification of the colonised. In this process, the oppressed are reduced to objects, serving the needs of the coloniser. ‘This theory has been integral to the thinking behind the work, as colonisation is considered Africa’s altering event and is what has triggered this centuries-long history of social and political instability,’ he explains.