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The Bang-bang Club: The Making of the New South Africa
 
 

The Bang-bang Club: The Making of the New South Africa (Paperback)

by Greg Marinovich (Author), Joao Silva (Author) "'Not a picture.' I muttered as I looked through my camera viewfinder at the soldier firing methodically into the hostel ..." (more)
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Arrow Books Ltd; New edition edition (6 Sep 2001)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 009928149X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0099281498
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.4 x 2.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 41,857 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #18 in  Books > Biography > Political > Countries & Regions > Africa
    #20 in  Books > Biography > Historical > Countries & Regions > Africa
    #22 in  Books > Art, Architecture & Photography > Photography > Subjects & Types > Photojournalism

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Ask any foreign editor on a national paper what part of the job gives them the most grief, and you'll almost certainly be told, "the foreign correspondents". Almost without exception, the reporters who bring back the best stories from war zones are neurotic, dysfunctional, paranoid and almost impossible to deal with. And if The Bang-Bang Club is anything to go by, you can include war photographers in the same category. The Bang-Bang Club was the name given to four South African photo-journalists, Greg Marinovich, Joao Silva, Ken Oosterbroek and Kevin Carter, who made a name for themselves going into the townships to capture first-hand the violence that erupted in South Africa between ANC supporters and the predominantly Zulu Inkhata party after the release of Nelson Mandela and prior to the first democratic elections. As a guide to the different factions and as a record of brutality, the book cannot be faulted. The British media predictably only ever reported the more sensational atrocities, and The Bang-Bang Club is a potent reminder of the ever-present violence and hatred that have dominated South African life since the early 1990s. Where the authors are on shakier ground is in the analysis of their own condition. Marinovich writes of the "addiction to adrenaline" in his pursuit of the story, and we do get to hear the downside of the booze, drugs and failed relationships that were a by-product of this addiction. But though Marinovich admits to questioning his motivation in getting up close and personal to the violence, he rather lets himself and the others off the hook with the notion that everything is justified by the importance of the story. This is as maybe, but another interesting line of enquiry might have been to ask whether the photographers' sublimated their own violent urges through their work. In other words, they let the death squads act out their feelings, while still retaining a moral high ground. The Bang-Bang Club exacted a high price of membership; Oosterbroek was killed by a stray bullet, Carter committed suicide and Marinovich was badly wounded and it's certainly not a club I would have been keen to join myself. But whatever you might think of the authors' psychiatric condition, you have to give them credit for exposing the stories that other journalists refused to touch. As The Bang-Bang Club might have said, "It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it." --John Crace --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


Fergal Keane

‘This is a book of extraordinary power. I cannot recommend it highly enough’

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First Sentence
'Not a picture.' I muttered as I looked through my camera viewfinder at the soldier firing methodically into the hostel. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
5 star:
 (13)
4 star:
 (1)
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2 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A vexing story of South Africa's transition to majority rule, 9 Sep 2001
The Bang Bang Club is the story of four young South African photographers who developed an uncanny skill and reputation for coverage of the bloody events that marked the country's transition from apartheid to majority rule. It is an exciting, gripping, 'heart in the mouth' read.

The book has two tracks; the development of the four men from varied and, in some cases, dysfunctional backgrounds, to prominence in their chosen profession. Along the way, they were drawn to each other because of their skills, their drive and ambition. Sometimes they worked together, but always their was a sense of competition, as evidenced by the frustration Jaoa Silva experienced at missing the shot that won Kevin Carter a Pullitzer prize - a vulture sitting in the Namibian bush, watching and waiting for a very young boy to die. Together they tried to come to terms with the enormity of the events that they were covering and also their role as chroniclers. Carter's drug problem and suicide came about because of an inability to deal with the emotional stresses.

On another level, the Bang Bang Club provides an explanation of how the country came to be at war with itself between 1990 and 1994, and the role of the incumbent white regime (trying to spread dissension); the ANC (negotiating with the government) and the Inkatha movement, representing the Zulu tribe and the country's transient hostel labour force. Marinovich's antipathy to the system of white rule is clearly expressed, but it does not get in the way of an objective narration or recording of events.

The book is also quite disturbing, leaving the reader to deal with a number of uncomfortable thoughts.

Many war photographers including those such as the celebrated Don McCullin, have struggled with the professional task of recording events and the consequent dissociation from the reality occurring in front of them. It seems that Marinovich sometimes could not believe that he had observed ANC supporters attack and then burn a suspected Inkatha member, Lindsay Tshabalala. A picture that won him the Pullitzer Prize. What must have been going through his mind?

The four members of the club courted danger. Sometimes they were in battle zones with bullets flying, and this is how Ken Oosterbroek lost his life; at other times they were witnessing the most horrific aspects of mob rule. It would not have taken much for the fury of the mob to have shifted to these white interlopers. What sort of courage and personality is it that pushes these guys to places where most 'sensible' people would not dare to tread?

And then there is the sheer scale of the violence being witnessed. It is something of a cliché that 'life is cheap' in Africa, but this does not explain the propensity for violence documented here- the slashing of a man's tendons behind his knee so that he could not run away from his would-be executioners. What sort of grief must have possessed Brian Mkhize when he met with Marinovich in a ditch the night after eleven of his relatives had been massacred? Perhaps it is no different from what we have been learning of the violence in the Balkans, in Ireland or any other war zone, but still it is shocking to see how men can so easily be consumed by hatred and violence.

The book helps to think through some, but not all, of these questions. For example, it seems that the photographer's sense of powerlessness to stop or change what is going on around him, is one of the emotions which is most difficult to deal with. The book is a powerful narration of these personal and political events, and no worse for leaving the reader with these questions and concerns.

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Bang-Bang Club about people not war, 21 Jun 2003
By A Customer
I found 'The Bang-Bang Club' a very powerful and moving book. It gives a personal and honest view of a difficult period in all the authors’ life with the backdrop of a chaotic and disturbing period in world history. The book is jointly written by two photographers but follows the life’s of four photographers mainly constricting on there joint time in South Africa. I started the book thinking that they were heroes, the pictures that they took were horrifying and they rest they life’s to let the world see what was happening. The book adds depth to this view, it turns the heroes into real people with there own problems. It show how they coupled with death on a daily basis, they thought they were invincible. This changes when a stray bullet shoots one of the group. They then have to try and deal with there own problems, in there own way, some manage some do not. The fact that the amazing photos were not taken by ‘heroes’ but real people makes their photos more powerful not less. I found the book fascinating not only for adding an other view to the conflict in South Africa but also giving me insight into what these amazing people go though. A must read for anyone who wants to try and under people better (that I hope is everyone!)
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21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Reveals what you never knew about the end of the apartheid, 19 May 2002
By A Customer
This is a truly great book, revealing, heart rending, occasionally horrifying but genuinely written. This tells the tale of a small group of photographers who made their names photographing the street battles that broke out in the townships of Johannesburg. It also gives insights into the complex politics that grasped South Arica during the time after Mandela's release. I couldn't put it down.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars utterly superb
I foolishly lent this book to my neighbour about 4 years ago. I could just ask for it back, but I want to read it again and I want a new copy. Read more
Published 8 months ago by R. Duckett

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read but it won't make you happy
As with the other reviews I did not feel comfortable buying this book (from a charity shop) due to the photographic content and the voyeuristic aspects. Read more
Published 22 months ago by L. Miles

5.0 out of 5 stars A few simple words on this book...
Simply, the best book that I have ever read.. I am so jealous of people who have yet to read this and who will experience it for the first time.
Published 23 months ago by Colin Byrne

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Book
Didn't know quite how I felt after reading this as so much happened in this tale of 4 photographers, 2 of whom died. Read more
Published on 21 Sep 2006 by A. Betts

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Read
This is a story that really touches the soul. How the photo journalists of South Africa covered the defining moment when the White Supremecy Rule was finally defeated. Read more
Published on 21 Jun 2006 by Mr. J. P. Grove

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!
This is undoubtably the best read, its honesty and real life actions ans accounts captivated me! Having grown up in Africa i have never come accross a book which has told the... Read more
Published on 20 Aug 2002 by cerise

5.0 out of 5 stars You don't want to, but you have to...
I felt guilty reading this amazing book. Guilty that I was a voyeur into this seemingly heartless and capitalistic business of war and its capture onto b&w film for the... Read more
Published on 4 Jul 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant
Having spent time in the South African army during the run up to the elections and having spent time in the Locations, reading this book was like reliving that time of my life all... Read more
Published on 28 Dec 2000

4.0 out of 5 stars The Bang Bang Club - Snapshots from a Hidden War
Usually I'm more into fiction, but this book about four South African war photographers held my attention easily. Read more
Published on 14 Dec 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
This is a truly amazing book that describes the situations and emotions so well I feel as if I was there. Unputdownable!!
Published on 28 Nov 2000 by silverchair@nme.com

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