Jo Ractliffe's interest in the aftermath of the Border War (1966 - 1985) led to the creation of The Borderlands, an exploration into the militarized areas touched by the war. All of the sites photographed in the book have a commonality of being occupied by the South African Defense Force (SADF) during the course of the war and its aftermath. 

From the publisher:

“Ractliffe identified and photographed at three primary locations: Pomfret, Kimberley (including Schmidtsdrift and Platfontein), and Riemvasmaak. All of these sites were occupied by the SADF during the mobilisation of the war and its aftermath. They also share histories of violence and dispossession during the apartheid era and, since the advent of democracy, of reconciliation and redress. Ractliffe is interested in the intersection of these histories: how they impact now, in the present life of these places.

This exquisitely designed and printed hardcover book includes a poetic text comprising edited transcripts of an extended conversation around the body of work between Ractliffe and writer/academic Patricia Hayes.”

22.8 x 30.4 cm | 189 pages | hardcover

Documentary photographer Jo Ratcliffe is a senior professor at Wits School of Arts, and a Research Fellow at the Centre for Curating the Archive at the University of Cape Town.