Southern Circle

The circle is the most perfect of all things…

With the words of his old maths teacher echoing through his memory, Obie Oberholzer, compass in hand, planned a new pictorial journey (having caught his breath after his recent trip from Ariesfontein to Zuurfontein) and traced a circular route around Southern Africa.

Departing from Grahamstown on 1 May 1989 to the cheering of children and the barking of dogs, he began his 64 days’ journey covering a distance of 14 800 km.

With camera at the ready, he worked his way along a circle of contrasts traversing terrains of startling diversity and capturing the essence of each place in a series of vibrant photographic images. From the loneliest longdrop in Africa to ‘Durbs by the Sea’, from the sweeping vineyards of Stellenbosch to the ‘Love Station’ brothel near Caprivi – these are just some of the pit-stops along the circumference of a Southern Circle.

I look up or down and around, without a person for miles around. Makes you think being so close to all this vastness – the sadness and gladness, the dust, the driving, warm elephant turds on the road…Things small and things big. I looked up into the stars – and saw a passing satellite…

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