Roger Ballen's Photography of Rural South Africa.

1. Barry
   February 28th, 2007 at 5:20 pm

   Heeeeeey, I'm 1/4 jackal too!

2. dodgyd55
   February 28th, 2007 at 6:10 pm

   wow they look inbred...... you were thinking it to

3. americano
   February 28th, 2007 at 6:11 pm

   Geezus H Christ....I took a look at the link and was shocked. The folks in the Platteland make the country folk back home in the South look like supermodels. WTF? Is this a result of inbreeding or what? Scary scary scary looking people....

4. brian t
   February 28th, 2007 at 6:25 pm

   It's not just breeding, malnutrition played a part. It's a harsh life.

   I was there from age 6 to age 23. No, I'm not sorry I left! My fellow Brits used to call the Afrikaners "Rocks", and it wasn't a compliment. Every school vacation they'd throw themselves down from the Highveld to the Natal coast, an event known as the Rockslide...

   PS: "Platteland" translated from Afrikaans is "Flatland". As two-dimensional as it sounds.

5. melissa
   February 28th, 2007 at 7:41 pm

   is this a real photo, or has it been doctored?

6. Carl Huber
   February 28th, 2007 at 7:52 pm

   Those are outstanding portraits. Really, there's so much story behind those eyes.

7. Greg Smith
   February 28th, 2007 at 8:35 pm

   What's the story behind those ears?

8. Joe
   February 28th, 2007 at 10:26 pm

   They look like two cars coming down the road with both doors open. Is that drool I see?

9. BenJCarter
   March 1st, 2007 at 2:26 am

   Is it just me or do those ears look like LOTR special effects...

10. Wynand Winterbach
    March 1st, 2007 at 6:13 am

    [Deleted per request of user]

11. MarlonS
    March 1st, 2007 at 9:30 am

    Apologies for being pedantic, but a correction to the post left by BrianT...

    Literally translation for "platteland" would be flatland.

    In context however, it means countryside.

12. HvH
    March 1st, 2007 at 10:55 am

    Deliverance 2 Revenge of the Banjo Boy

13. Justin
    March 1st, 2007 at 12:04 pm

    Can you hear me now...

14. Miranda Vink
    March 1st, 2007 at 3:53 pm

    I guess photographer Roger Ballen's goal was to make the most unflattering portraits possible of South Africa's white trash population. Judging by this photograph he certainly succeeded...

15. Storm
    March 1st, 2007 at 6:15 pm

    Yes, they do seem somewhat unflattering. I suppose the Diane Arbus school of freakshow photography will never die. In my eyes it is an immature photographer who seeks out these types of easy hits. When we start out we all shoot old people with lots of wrinkles, and tramps with torn faces. Eventually, hopefully, we learn to see the freaks inside ourselves instead.

    For more great fun at other people's expenses, Google "Shelby Lee Adams".

16. Kirsten
    March 2nd, 2007 at 1:35 am

    I think these pictures are sort of beautiful actually. Especially the woman so sweetly holding the puppies. These people have obviously had a rough life and the diversity of humankind is kind of wondrous, if sometimes seemingly a bit tragic.

    Although Greg Smith's comment was pretty funny.

17. Vanessa
    April 16th, 2008 at 12:32 pm

    Wynand Winterbach:

    You've got some nerve talking about the "prejudiced" British in SA, and the poor, poor Afrikaners. Because we all know the Afrikaners in South Africa have never bestowed prejudice upon anyone; especially not the Black South Africans!

18. Nick
    December 13th, 2008 at 4:51 pm

    Perhaps they would look better if they smiled.

19. Black South African
    January 17th, 2009 at 11:40 pm

    It may come as a shock to you dear Vanessa that the British descendants in South Africa wholeheartedly supported and benefited from Apartheid as well. The British were just better at hiding their prejudice.

20. Ano
    February 7th, 2009 at 4:19 pm

    Shame on you publishing these boys here...as the same for the author, these two look as if they're from a mental hospital! and that's no joke. Poor people from the rural country side don't look like them...I grew up there and even if the country side is big, you will not see men/youngsters like this...i think this pic was taken from somewhere in Europe and for the sake of his book published as if it's SA. Those men don't have the characteristics of SA men!

21. headspace
    February 11th, 2009 at 9:32 am

    The British were as equal to oppression as the Afrikaners were. This is not a political platform you cretins. Brilliant photo.

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