What Makes Us Strong
My intense belief in intersectional empowerment for all classifications of marginalised genders motivated my work. Instead of focusing on overarching negatives, I wish to provide a positive space, offering some form of healing through my photography. 

To this end, I created a magazine in 2020, called: What Makes Us Strong.

Background: South Africa witnessed a powerful movement in 2019 as the country's youth took to the streets to protest against Gender Based Violence (GBV). I dedicated myself to this cause during September 2019 as an active member of the AntiGBVSu Movement. Together we held protests, meetings, and vigils to mourn Uyinene’s, death, with others bravely sharing their stories of gender-based violence. Though the time was marked by sorrow, I was deeply moved by the all-enveloping support of people from all walks of life, who came together to fight this scourge and amplify the plight of the affected. I wished to challenge this narrative, and create a platform for all to share their experiences, passions, and sources of inspiration through the valuable discourse furnished by this project. To avoid the male gaze and showcase these individuals as they truly are, I conducted interviews and documented the participants in a way that empowered and represented them fully, allowing their voices to be heard.

As I adopt a more empathic approach in my photography, creating What Makes Us Strong (WMUS) became a personal place of healing for me, enabling me to unravel certain parts of my being. 

I love that photography permits us to discover and uncover elements of ourselves that we never previously saw. We can question the world, break boundaries, and expose our vulnerabilities.




@sandra_nagelsandranagel1@gmail.comSandra Nagel 2024