Ian Berry’s Sharpeville photos revealed apartheid brutality to the world
Ian Berry, a veteran photojournalist, captured the only existing images of the 1960 Sharpeville massacre in South Africa. His photos revealed the brutal apartheid police violence that killed 91 protesters, helping expose the regime's oppression worldwide.
Brève Publié le (Africa/Lagos, UTC+1) · date de l'événement : 1960-03-21
Ian Berry, a renowned photojournalist, took the only existing photographs of the Sharpeville massacre on 21 March 1960 in South Africa, where police opened fire without warning on a crowd protesting apartheid pass laws, killing 91 people.
Berry was working for Drum magazine and was sent to Sharpeville on his day off. As the shooting began, he crouched in the grass and documented the violence, capturing images that were circulated globally and exposed the brutality of the apartheid regime.
The massacre occurred during a peaceful protest organized by the Pan-Africanist Congress against passbooks that controlled Black South Africans’ movements. Berry’s photos played a crucial role in shaping international awareness and resistance to apartheid.