Charity Photoshoot Against Human Trafficking

It started off on a cloudy and frosty Saturday morning, we met just on the south Edge of Gabrone city. I was certainly surprised at the number of people that were going to work on this. Feeling very unsure on whether we would have a successful shoot as we made our way to the rail track that would make the setting for the shoot; I got acquainted with the designers and other photographers, most were friends I hadn't seen in a while and others I just met but the overall energy and friendly atmosphere among us was enough to brighten up every day.

Equipment talk now out of the way, we quickly got got planning, while the designers and make up artists dressed and worked on the models; the photographers got scouting the location to get the best of the scenery. I went around looking for unique and interesting scenes that would make for interesting shots. The great thing was that we worked well together and even got to share and create some great ideas for the scenes.

As soon as we started we got snapping and things flowed so organically and seamlessly as if we had practiced for it prior. By midday we had a small lunch provided by the shoot organisers as we casually had a chat to which we decided to have the last couple of shots and call it a day. It was a great success, and ill share some of the images that I managed to capture, but first a bit about the photoshoot.

About the shoot:

ART FOR A CAUSE-HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS PROJECT COORDINATED BY DESERTARTZ

DesertArtz is a collective of visual artists who collaborate to achieve specific common goals. Artists who constitute DesertArts include a range of photographers, videographers, clothing and accessories designers, sculptors, painters, printmakers, make-up artists, leather crafters, potters, models and any kind of imaginable handymen and women. A remarkable passion for art and humanity has inspired this group of well versed artists to work hand in hand in the name of charity to raise awareness against human trafficking activities in Botswana and the rest of the world.

With its youthful population, economic disparities, porous borders, lack of opportunities for young people and flawed birth registration systems, Botswana has inevitably become an origin, destination and transit for the trafficking of persons. Women and children are most commonly trafficked without their consent for forced labor and sexual exploitation. Victims from Botswana and neighbouring countries are trafficked throughout Southern Africa with Botswana as the transit route mainly via the ‘Maputo Road’.

Botswana also has common cases of internal trafficking of vulnerable men, women and children. Children orphaned by different circumstances are usually not registered and they never officially acquire a formal nationality which is why they become targets who are easily moved around Botswana and other countries. In a time frame of countless generations children, refugees and internally displaced people in Botswana have been trafficked and subjected to manual labour. Children from poor rural communities are usually sent to work for wealthy families as domestic workers and cattle herders while they have most of their basic human rights violated. It has also come to our attention that Albinos are violently trafficked and killed for ritual purposes across Africa.

Although human trafficking is world wide dismay, DesertArtz intends to primarily raise an intense awareness in Botswana then secondarily in Africa and the rest of the world. With our versatile talents, DesertArtz aspires to use art as a medium of raising this awareness by compiling previous fashion photo shoots and respective artworks to host an exhibition that would mark the inception of this endeavour. It is also our intention to send our video documentary to CNN –Project Freedom.

Artists currently involved in this project include;

DESIGNERS;

Tshegofatso Sino Ragontse- bead accessories D’vine Designs

Buhle- accessories Tswanalyric

Boitshoko Kebakile- accessories House of Divinity

Naiko- clothing Naiko

Maungo J Seabenyane- handpainted tshirts and bead accessories ‘ outoftheblu’

Tsholofelo Madiabaso- clothing

Julia- bags label Valerie Clemence

Dondo Segola- bags

Tafadzwa- wireworks

Chandida Nlebesi- Shoes xix couture