BACK O’ THE MOON: Photography from the 'fabulous age' of South African jazz: Presented in association with Journey to Jazz Festival, Prince Albert

Back o’ the Moon is both a celebration and an act of cultural preservation – ensuring that the images, like the music, endure as homage to the brilliance, resilience, and defiance of a generation.

Alf Kumalo (1930–2012) is an internationally recognised photographer who stood at the forefront of documenting South Africa’s liberation history – capturing moments of both tragedy and triumph. As noted in Through My Lens: A Photographic Memoir, his work reveals unique access to iconic figures, not only from the South African struggle but also from the global stage.

Born in Utrecht, KwaZulu-Natal, Kumalo moved to Johannesburg as a young boy and became a largely self-taught photographer. He began his career at Bantu World and Golden City Post in the 1950s, freelanced for Drum magazine in the 1960s, and joined the Sunday Times in the 1970s. In the 1980s, he became part of The Star in Johannesburg.

His photographs have been published in leading international newspapers including The Observer, The New York Times, New York Post, and The Sunday Independent, and his work has been exhibited at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. Kumalo’s publications include Mandela: Echoes of an Era, Alf Kumalo: South African Photographer, Through My Lens: A Photographic Memoir, and 8115: A Prisoner’s Home.

In recognition of his extraordinary contribution to photojournalism, Kumalo received the Presidential Order of Ikhamanga in Silver in 2004 and the Nat Nakasa Award for Media Integrity in 2005.

Bob Gosani (1934–1972) was a pioneering South African photojournalist whose work at Drum magazine in the 1950s and 1960s helped define the golden age of Black photography. Renowned for his fearless eye, he chronicled both the daily lives and political struggles of Black South Africans during apartheid, often exposing the state’s injustices through his camera.

Born in Johannesburg, Gosani was largely self-taught, beginning his career as a darkroom assistant before emerging as one of Drum’s leading photographers. His most celebrated series, the Tauza Dance photographs (1954), revealed the humiliating treatment of Black prisoners forced to perform naked squats, an exposé that reverberated internationally.

Gosani’s images balanced social critique with cultural celebration – capturing jazz musicians, political leaders, and the energy of township life. His work was widely reproduced in Drum and other publications of the era, cementing his place among the most important chroniclers of South Africa’s modern history.

Though his career was cut short by his early death at 38, Gosani’s photographs endure as stark witnesses to oppression and as vibrant records of resilience, creativity, and community.

Gopal Naransamy (1923–1998) was among the first South African photographers of Indian descent to gain prominence in the apartheid era, contributing powerfully to the visual record of segregation and resistance. Working across news outlets including Drum, Naransamy documented the vibrancy of urban Black life as well as the harsh realities of forced removals, police repression, and racialised injustice. His work provided rare perspectives from Durban and other Indian communities often marginalised in mainstream narratives, helping broaden the scope of South African photojournalism in the 1950s and 1960s.

G.R. Naidoo (1928–1982) was part of the Drum generation of photographers who helped define a new visual language for South Africa in the mid-20th century. Though less widely recognised than some of his contemporaries, Naidoo contributed important images of both everyday township life and political resistance, expanding the reach of Drum’s mission to reveal the humanity and creativity of Black South Africans. His work, together with that of peers like Naransamy, played a critical role in challenging apartheid stereotypes and asserting dignity in representation.

Jürgen Schadeberg (1931–2020) was a German-born photographer who played a central role in shaping South Africa’s visual memory of the 1950s and 1960s. As picture editor at Drum magazine, he trained and mentored a generation of Black photographers, including Alf Kumalo, Peter Magubane, and Bob Gosani. Schadeberg’s own photographs captured iconic figures such as Nelson Mandela, Hugh Masekela, and Miriam Makeba, as well as everyday life in Sophiatown before its destruction. Forced into exile in 1964, he continued to work internationally before returning to South Africa in the 1990s. His archive is now regarded as one of the most significant visual records of South African cultural and political history.

Peter Magubane (1932–2024) was one of South Africa’s most celebrated photographers, renowned for his uncompromising documentation of apartheid. Beginning his career at Drum magazine in the 1950s under the mentorship of Jürgen Schadeberg, Magubane went on to become the visual chronicler of protest, repression, and resilience. His fearless coverage of events such as the Sharpeville massacre (1960), the Soweto uprising (1976), and the daily struggles of Black South Africans earned him international acclaim. Despite frequent arrests and bans, he continued to work, often in secret. Magubane’s images have been published worldwide and exhibited extensively, and he received numerous honours, including the Order of Ikhamanga in Silver (2011).

Drum Archive / Bailey’s African History Archive (BAHA) holds one of the most important visual and cultural legacies of twentieth-century South Africa. At its heart is the photographic archive of Drum magazine, the pioneering publication that in the 1950s and 1960s captured the vibrancy of urban Black life, the energy of jazz, and the defiance of resistance politics.

Drum became a training ground for a generation of photographers—including Ernest Cole, Alf Kumalo, Peter Magubane, Bob Gosani, and Jürgen Schadeberg—whose images challenged apartheid stereotypes and gave visual form to a modern, cosmopolitan African identity. Beyond photojournalism, the magazine also nurtured writers such as Can Themba, Nat Nakasa, and Es’kia Mphahlele, making it a crucible of intellectual and artistic life.

Today the Drum Archive is preserved by Bailey’s African History Archive (BAHA), ensuring that this extraordinary record of creativity and resistance continues to inform scholarship, exhibitions, and public memory both in South Africa and internationally.

With special thanks to our partners and collaborators:

Journey to Jazz · The Estate of Alf Kumalo · The Estate of Ernest Cole · Bailey’s African History Archive · The Estate of Jürgen Schadeberg · The Estate of Peter Magubane

Installation images: Yoav Dagan