BY: Nonkcubeko Mkwalo
Neo Ntsoma takes us on her career journey, and how she worked towards ensuring that black women get recognition in the media industry.
Growing up in the apartheid era as a black woman, with dreams to one day work in the media industry can seem over the top and impossible. However, Neo Ntsoma who is well known for her photojournalism; portraiture; music and culture photography managed to change the narrative and was able to pursue her dreams of becoming a photographer and visual storyteller.
Ntsoma grew up in the North-West province, in a tiny village called Logageng in the remote outskirts of Mafikeng. As a child she had always been interested in filmmaking, but as she grew older and learnt more about the apartheid era including the negative representation of the black nation in broadcast and print- she began taking an interest in photography. Witnessing the segregation and inequality motivated her to make a difference, as she realized that there was lack of participation of black women in the media industry more especially in superior or leadership positions such as photography.
“There was a huge gap that needed to be filled, and I felt it was my responsibility to be the change I wanted to see,” she said in an email interview.
While she was still in the process of pursuing her career goals, Ntsoma experienced a lot of challenges due to the discrimination. With regards to her studies, she enrolled at Peninsula University of Technology and later moved to Tshwane University of Pretoria- where she was dismissed from the course, halfway through completion. Although her plans to obtain a qualification in photography were disrupted because of her gender and race, she will always be remembered as one of the first black women to make it to photography school.
Ntsoma is the last of three children and a mother of a young man, who is also pursuing a career in the creative field. Apart from her job designation, she also describes herself as a movie fanatic and an entertainer. Way before her current career, she was a choreographer- where she got a chance to choreograph the KFC ‘cheese and chilli burger’ TV advert and also co-founded two reputable dance troupes.
This visual storyteller has had many achievements when it comes to her work. Her career highlights and success is an inspiration to the youth, who would also like to take a similar career path. Ntsoma is a recipient of 20 photographic awards in total, some of these including the Mohamed Amin Award; CNN African Journalist of the year Photography Prize and the National Geographic All Roads Award which was presented at the NGS Headquarters in Washington DC.
Ntsoma’s work is very unique, as she shoots in different photographic genres such as portrait; reportage; fashion; humanitarian and entertainment. With every work she produces, her aim is to create a positive image of the Black African nation and convey a message that the black race is not inferior. Through an email interview, she said:
“With every image I create, it is also the essence of one’s personality that attracts me the most. The same applies with all the other genres that I shoot. Better representative of the people I photograph is always my ultimate goal.”
Neo owns a production company known as the Neo Ntsoma Productions, this company was formed as a way to open space for black women in the male-dominated media industry. It aims to create an environment where the competency of black business is recognized and acknowledged. Ntsoma remains a great inspiration to every black woman, and continues to pave her way to success while creating her own legacy.
