Omar Badsha: capturing South Africa's path to freedom

OMAR Badsha documented political rallies, protests and the day to day lives of South Africans under apartheid for many decades, now the Durban born photojournalist, artist and trade union activist is the subject of a book called Available Light: Omar Badsha and the Struggle for Change in South Africa. 

Written by Yale University academic and historian Daniel Magaziner, the biography which was released last week also tells the story of Badsha’s family and the Gujarati community in Durban. 

Jacana Media which is promoting the book described it as “an intimate portrait of a beret-donning, jazz-loving rebel who came to be known as ‘the nation’s archivist’.” 

Speaking to the Independent on Saturday from the US, Magaziner said that he had already known Badsha for a long time when the activist approached him to write his biography. While it was his book, Magaziner said it was more of a collaboration between him and Badsha. 

“Everyone who knows about the history of South African art and Durban knows that Omar was this really important figure on the Durban art scene in the 60s and that he had these really important relationships. But it's not very well documented because it didn't get much press and there's no real archival presence for it beyond images and recognition that he won this and that award,” said Magaziner.

Despite their long-standing friendship, the writing process was challenging. The two often disagreed on various aspects, and Magaziner admits he occasionally questioned why he had agreed to the project. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic also delayed the work.

Nonetheless, Magaziner valued Badsha’s insight into South African history and activism, noting that Badsha had an extraordinary archive of photographs, correspondence, and documents spanning generations.  

“He was a bit of a pack rat. I mean, less charitably, you could say a bit of a hoarder. He just had this incredible collection of his own photographs, other people's work, people just sent him things, and he would keep them. This is a man who has every email that anyone has ever sent him. He probably stopped at a certain point, but he would print them out. And so you had this just incredible collection of things available to you that covered this massive sweep of South African history, because he had his father's information all the way through, and some of his grandfather's, all the way through to the present.” 

The  initial draft for the book was much longer than the one that was released and Badsha “hated it with a passion.” Magaziner said there were still aspects of the book which Badsha was not happy about and they will discuss it in Cape Town next week. 

Magaziner describes Badsha’s role in the struggle for liberation as “extraordinarily representative” of the countless individuals who contributed to the anti-apartheid movement, though their efforts are often overlooked in mainstream narratives. While Badsha may not have led major protest marches or been exiled, he played a crucial behind-the-scenes role, ensuring that the movement remained active. “It wasn’t about leading a march or running for parliament. It was about doing the regular, persistent work that kept things moving forward,” said Magaziner. He further noted that Badsha’s documentation of these efforts was key, as it preserved the memory of a generation that fought for change.

Badsha’s contributions have not gone unnoticed. The South African government awarded him the Order of Ikhamanga (Silver) in recognition of his “commitment to the preservation of our country’s history through groundbreaking and well-balanced research, and collection of profiles and events of the struggle for liberation.”

Badsha founded South African History Online (SAHO), which focuses on the neglected history of South Africa’s liberation struggle. 

The Presidency highlighted that Badsha was a second-generation South African and an award-winning, self-taught artist, photographer, political and trade union activist, author, editor, and historian. He was deeply involved in major anti-apartheid campaigns in Natal and the Western Cape for nearly 38 years, despite facing detention and harassment by the apartheid security police. He also played an instrumental role in reviving the Natal Indian Congress (NIC) and in establishing the Trade Union Advisory and Coordinating Council, the precursor to the present-day Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).

Available Light: Omar Badsha and the Struggle for Change in South Africa retails for R420. Magaziner will be in South Africa to promote his book in Cape Town and Johannesburg. He will also be in Durban on Wednesday for a launch at Ike’s Books. The book can be bought at https://jacana.co.za/product/available-light/.