A White Morning in Zwelihle
The Hands that feed - A photographic walk
The Landscape of Resilience
December mornings in Hermanus can begin softly, wrapped in mist. On this particular morning, the white fog felt like an invitation—one that led me into Zwelihle, an African suburb rich in history, resilience, and quiet creativity.
I’m Grace Remondo, a Cape Town–based photographer, and this walk was not about spectacle. It was about hands—the hands that build, cook, repair, sew, and care.
The Web of Life
Zwelihle: A Web of Life
Zwelihle—“Beautiful Place” in isiXhosa—is often defined by what it lacks. But what my lens encountered was connection.
From History to an Emerging African Suburb
“We don’t say township anymore,” my guide told me.
“We say African Suburb.”
The Hands That Feed
This walk became an inventory of hands.
Hands restoring sneakers.
The Artisan at Work
Hands sewing clothes and car seats inside corrugated iron workspaces.
Heritage in Motion / The Heart of the Kitchen
Hands stirring umngqusho at Lelethu’s Kitchen, lifting a lid heavy with steam and heritage.
These are hands that feed more than the stomach.
They feed continuity.
They feed dignity.
Food as a Language of Care
From warm amagwinya wrapped in thin plastic to shisanyama cooked over open wood fires, food in Zwelihle is slow, social, and generous.
At one moment, a pair of hands extended freshly made vetkoek toward me.
No words were needed.
Provision was the message.
Why This Walk Matters
Zwelihle is not temporary.
Its structures are homes.
Its colours are memory.
Here, feeding also means educating, healing, and nurturing futures. At places like Little Stars Educare and Izibusiso Foster Home, care is practiced daily, quietly, and collectively.
Looking Ahead — December 2026
This walk through Zwelihle is not a one-time encounter. I plan to return in December 2026 during the school holidays to facilitate a photographic workshop with young people.
The workshop will use photography as a tool for storytelling, care, and dialogue, with a particular focus on gender-based violence (GBV)—creating a safe space for expression, reflection, and repair.
This approach is deeply connected to my ongoing practice and to my self-published photobook, The Rebuilt Horizon: an inventory of absence and light. In this work, I use a process of destroying and repairing photographic prints, inspired by the Japanese art of Kintsugi, in which cracks are not hidden but honoured.
The workshop will extend this philosophy: acknowledging rupture, creating space for healing, and transforming damage into meaning.
To make this possible, I will be seeking partnerships and sponsorships to support travel, accommodation, and photographic equipment.
If you are a cultural institution, school, NGO, or organization interested in education, arts, or GBV prevention, I welcome the opportunity to connect.
This project reminded me why I photograph—to witness everyday resilience and honour the creativity woven into ordinary life.
Thank you for walking with me through Zwelihle.
— Grace Remondo
Photographer | Cape Town
