Robyn Dixon reports on the work of animator Nic Grobler and
photographer Stan Engelbrecht, whose website,
www.bicycleportraits.co.za, and three photo books, all called
"Bicycle Portraits," seek to document South Africa's fledgling
bicycle culture and understand why so few utilize a tool they
believe "could change the lives of threadbare South Africans."
"What they found, after about 4,000 miles of cycling, 500
interviews and countless punctures, was that South African
bicyclists are like those in many nations without a strong bike
commuting culture: fearless, adventurous, thick-skinned and,
often, more than a little eccentric," writes Dixon. "We both
believe that bicycles could really empower people in South
Africa, where so many people rely on poor public transport
infrastructure," Engelbrecht said. "People have to travel great
distances to work. People really struggle with movement here."
"Unfortunately, they said, there is a stigma attached to
bicycles that may have originated in the apartheid era of racia