‘Born Free’ is the name given to the generation of South Africans born after the abolition of apartheid. 2019 marked the 25th year since Nelson Mandela was elected President of South Africa and the country became a democracy. Mandela had high hopes for the youth, wishing a generation for whom racial segregation is a thing of the past. Photographer Ivy Njiokiktjien followed about 35 young people in a span of twelve years, taking a look into how free the born-frees really are. Some show great willpower and take every opportunity they would otherwise never have had in the era before Mandela. Others struggle through a life of neglect, violence and poverty. The transition that South Africa has undergone is therefore not yet complete and the history of the country still repeats itself in some cases. The segregation is not necessarily around racial lines, but furthermore so around class lines.
