This research examines Black women's critical yet often unacknowledged role in shaping South Africa's visual and cultural history as curators of familial memory and as photographic practitioners. Dominant historical narratives have largely foregrounded male perspectives, thereby marginalising the subtle but significant ways in which Black women have actively constructed and preserved personal and communal histories within domestic spheres. Black women have long performed curatorial labour in the home, positioning themselves as custodians of the family archive. Through arranging photographs on walls and within albums, they have engaged in acts of visual authorship, shaping narratives of identity, lineage, and cultural memory. These everyday archival practices challenge institutional modes of memory-making and affirm the home as a critical site of resistance and remembrance. This research also foregrounds the contributions of Black women who have taken up the camera, particularly those working before 1994, thereby inscribing their perspectives into the visual record. Drawing on insights from my MA research and ongoing qualitative fieldwork, the paper repositions everyday curatorial labour in the home as a powerful archival intervention. It also engages the photographers and their families in processes of archiving and storytelling and explores how these practices might inform academic, curatorial, and pedagogical frameworks. As part of this presentation, a short trailer from a documentary film currently in production, which emerges from this broader research will be shared. The journal article forms one element of this wider study, which seeks to honour Black women's authorship in shaping family and community memory through photography.

Authors:
Manyatsa Vilakazi, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa

About the Presenter(s)
Manyatsa Vilakazi, a lecturer and visual storyteller exploring memory, identity, and archival practices through photography, video, and sound. Her current project examines Black women’s agency in reclaiming narratives via visual media.

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