Aidan Murgatroyd, Stellenbosch Academy of Design and Photography, South Africa

Becoming South African

As a third culture kid born and raised in various regions of the world and spending more time outside South Africa than in it, I've always desired to explore, understand and connect with what it means to be South African. As a child of mixed cultural background with one English and one Afrikaans parent, even in the midst of family gatherings, I felt a sense of otherness. 

I returned to South Africa in 2017 and wanted to travel, connect and interact with the people, places and spaces that make up the South African experience. Finally in 2021, at the first chance available, I undertook a countrywide road trip over five months. The goal? To ascertain what it means to be South African, especially in a nation which encompasses so many cultures, languages and identities. Who are we?