From a high school photography project in Thokoza to one of the world’s most prestigious art prizes, Lindokuhle Sobekwa’s journey is nothing short of remarkable. And now, he’s putting South Africa on the global stage in the most heartfelt way.
Global (02 June 2025) – Lindokuhle Sobekwa was recently named the winner of the 2025 Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize and honestly… it’s giving us all the feels!
This international award is a really big deal, £30,000 (over R700,00) and a global spotlight on the most influential photography of the year, and Lindokuhle won it with a project so personal and powerful that it’s leaving people around the world speechless.
It’s called “I Carry Her Photo With Me” and it’s not just a photobook. It’s a love letter, a tribute, a deeply moving journey of grief, memory and what it means to keep someone’s story alive.
And it all started with one photo of his sister.
Lindokuhle was born in Thokoza, a township outside Johannesburg, in 1995. He picked up a camera for the first time thanks to a school programme called Of Soul and Joy. That programme taught him to take photos but it also unlocked a way to make sense of the world around him. He started documenting real stories, right from his community. Not glamorous, not sugar-coated. Raw and real. His early work focused on Nyaope addiction, poverty and the unseen parts of South African life, but always with compassion and care. He never looked away but he never stripped anyone of their dignity either.
And people noticed. Lindokuhle quickly found himself exhibiting in galleries, working with Magnum Photos, and eventually becoming one of their full members, which is massive in the photography world.
But through it all, he stayed focused on telling stories that matter. Stories like his own.
The Project That Won the World Over
The photo that sparked “I Carry Her Photo With Me” is one of those you never forget.
It was a family portrait, the only photo of his older sister Ziyanda, but her face had been cut out. Years later, he found that missing cut-out tucked inside his mom’s Bible. That was the moment everything changed. Lindokuhle started tracing Ziyanda’s story, piecing together memories, asking questions and using his camera to capture not just images but feelings. What followed was a deeply emotional journey through family grief, healing and the things that go unsaid in South African homes.
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Ziyanda disappeared after a tragic accident involving Lindokuhle when they were kids. She blamed herself. She left. For more than a decade, she was gone. And when she returned in 2013, it was too late, she was ill, fragile and carrying invisible scars. She passed away not long after coming back home.
This project was his way of keeping her close. Of remembering her fully. And of making sure no one else feels that kind of absence without being seen.
Simple Tools, Big Impact | Lindokuhle Sobekwa
What makes this project even more incredible is its simplicity. Lindokuhle didn’t use fancy gear or expensive setups. Just a basic camera, handwritten notes, found family photos, scribbled memories and raw emotion.
The result? A book that feels like paging through someone’s soul.
Photos of washing lines where her dresses once hung. Candlelit rooms. Quiet shadows. Places where she once walked. And between the images, scribbled thoughts that say what so many of us feel but never say out loud.
The judges said it best, “this is what photography can be when it’s used to truly connect, not just capture”.
At the awards ceremony in London, Lindokuhle stood there, humble and overwhelmed, and simply said, “What a journey.”
Honestly, it’s more than that. It’s a reminder of what South Africans can do when given a chance. It’s a reminder of how powerful our stories are. And it’s proof that something deeply painful can be transformed into something healing, not just for the artist but for everyone who experiences the work.
This is also a moment of back-to-back pride. Last year, South Africa’s Lebohang Kganye won the same prize. And now, it’s Lindokuhle’s turn. Two wins. Two years. One incredibly talented country.
A Story That Will Stay With Us
Lindokuhle’s story is a quiet one. There are no bright lights or shouting headlines. Just a brother, trying to remember his sister. Trying to understand the spaces she left behind. And trying to offer that story to the world, so we all feel a little less alone.
It’s heartbreaking. It’s beautiful. And it’s one of the most powerful reminders we’ve seen in ages of why art matters.
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