Highlighting poverty

Adrian Erasmus, a Pretoria photographer, wants to highlight the plight of poor Whites in Pretoria. In June 2007 Adrian initiated a food programme for poor Whites in Pretoria. He spent the past year taking photos at informal settlements and poverty-stricken areas in Pretoria North, Bon Accord, Onderstepoort and the inner city. The photos will be part of an exhibition at the London Literature Festival in May. He has tried to show that his subjects had dignity and that people from various walks of life were affected by poverty. Later in the year, Adrian will visit the Northern Cape to record poverty amongst the Coloured population. Adrian wants to show the world that poverty knows no colour in South Africa. In January 2008, the Adrian Erasmus Foundation was registered to uplift young Afrikaners of all races by means of education and the creation of opportunities. Adrian was not a professional photographer but since the success of this project, he has decided to pursue it as a career. He received his first camera at age 15. In the military he was trained as an operational photographer and studied the work of David Goldblatt.