The Boston Globe
01 January, 1990
Two weeks after blacks had been given the right to travel on buses previously reserved for whites, black and white South Africans wait for the same bus at a stop in downtown Johannesburg. Joanne Rathe: 'When I arrived in South Africa in 1990, four years after my first visit, there was excitement in the air. In downtown Johannesburg the shocking ‘Whites Only’ signs had gone, and Nelson Mandela’s release was imminent. The challenge was to document the subtle changes that were taking place. Noticing these blacks and whites waiting together for a bus, I parked my car, grabbed my camera and took the picture. They sat frozen, displaying a universal body language that can be read by children of all ages and nationalities.' (World Press Photo retrospective Children's Jury exhibition, 2003)
Joanne Rathe
Joanne Rathe graduated from Boston University and then worked for a year for Springfield Newspapers in Massachusetts. After that she worked as a photographer for The Boston Heral...
Through our education programs, the World Press Photo Foundation encourages diverse accounts of the world that present stories with different perspectives.
Our exhibitions showcase stories that make people stop, feel, think and act to a worldwide audience.
Our annual contest recognizes and rewards the best in photojournalism and documentary photography.
