“I have a name” is an incredible photo series showcasing everyday South Africans in the most phenomenal way. Proudly South African… one story at a time.
The stories are told by the incredible South Africans… raw & unedited. It’s a showcase of humanness, a reminder that behind every face, is a name.
Meet Allen… an incredible South African entrepreneur.
“My name is Allen, I used to have a little stall at the Bree Taxi Rank. I was doing quite well, but then I had some problems with my neighbours and I decided to leave. I’ve been here on the side of the Golf Club on Sangster Road in Magaliessig for 3 years now.”
“On Mondays when all the garbage gets picked up, I go around and look through the dustbins for the pastic signs that real estate agents use when they advertise houses for sale. The material is light and waterproof and perfect to make planes out of.”
I ask him how he learnt to make the planes and he pulls an old magazine out of his bag. He shows me a worn page with a picture of a Cessna on it.
“Someone gave me this magazine, and I just looked at the picture and tried to figure out by myself how to make it. I’ve been making planes and selling them for 4 years. I use plastic bottle tops for the wheels and the propeller and put it all together using wire. I’ve never flown in a plane myself, ” he says with a smile.
Because the planes are so light they bob up and down in the tree just behind us, the propeller spinning in the wind. One lone beaded Christmas tree stands next to a row of painted stick trees.
“My friends taught me how to do beading as well…I don’t have stock of the beaded items at the moment. It is difficult to make stock, because I struggle to find places to store my wares during the night. The more stock I make, the more I have to store to keep safe. The woven bird nests are popular with people at the moment. They hang them in the trees and put food in them for the birds. I’d love to one day have my own stall again to sell my creations.”
“I love what I do, I love creating and designing… getting enough customers is a problem though, and means I’m just surviving day to day.”
How you can help:
- Stop and buy one of Allen’s creations at the top of Sangster Road in Magaliessig
- Place an order for something…he can also make helicopters and cars…maybe some fun props for a party?
- Maybe you can inspire him to create something new by giving him a photograph or picture of something you would like him to make.
- Can you link him up with an artisan business selling proudly South African goods?
- Do you live in the area -and do you have some space ina garage to store some of Allen’s goods?
Allen’s phone number is 078 5140728
“I Have A Name” is a space where an anonymous photographer (we’ll call her J) is taking photos of everyday South Africans to showcase their incredible stories.
How do we bridge the great South African divides? Black vs white, young vs old, rich vs poor, men vs women? The divides that keep us from making eye contact with the beggar standing on the street corner, or the stranger in the lift.
CS Lewis said, “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations – these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit – immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously – no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption.”
Come with me on a journey…the stories and names behind the faces of everyday South Africans living their life in your neighbourhood, on your streets.
I think you will discover that we have a lot in common.
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