Lesotho in Photography | The Ramakatane Collection
The Photographer who woke up from the Dead - Mohlouoa T. Ramakatane
After being shot and left for dead in Sharpeville, photographer Mohlouoa T. Ramakatane suddenly gained consciousness, coming back from the dead. The Ramakatane archive provides a unique perspective of Lesotho’s social history and visual culture from a period spanning over 50 years.
Project Abstract
The archive of photographer Mohlouoa T. Ramakatane, the renowned portraitist of Lesotho, sheds light on Lesotho’s history and cultural memory as distinct and separate from those of South Africa. This project will digitize his personal archive, including papers, photographs, and negatives to document his 50+ year career taking portraits in his studio and as the official portraitist of the royal family. The archive also contains evidence of his activist work in Lesotho and South Africa, including materials from Sharpeville.