Robin Bernstein's 'Mapalakata' Explores South Africa's Precolonial History Through Photography

Robin Bernstein, a photographer from South Africa, has launched her first book titled 'Mapalakata', which explores the fleeting presence of visitors in the landscape of Mpumalanga province. The term 'Mapalakata' translates to 'visitors' in Bapedi and is inspired by oral narratives about eastern traders who traversed southern Africa prior to European colonization. This work is set along the escarpment adjacent to Mozambique and Eswatini, a geographical marker representing the South African frontier that has influenced folklore and the origins of the gold narrative. Bernstein’s photographic exploration captures remnants of history and contemporary lives, addressing social issues in South Africa. The book features images like wild horses in Kaapsehoop, believed to be descendants of those left behind after a gold rush, and a photograph of Marycate and her daughter Sibahle in a home built during the 1950 Group Areas Act in Emjindini, Barberton. Desmond Latham, a writer, highlights that Mapalakata originally referred to traders who exchanged cloth, beads, salt, and brass for gold, hides, and grain. The book is published by Gost.