Ernest Cole: Education for Servitude

“When I have control of Native education, I will reform it so that Natives will be taught from childhood" said Dr. Hendrik Verwoerd (minister of Native Affairs in 1953). Under the Act, the minister explained, the ‘Bantu’ would be given no more education than he needed to perform his menial function in the South African economy. “There is no place for him in the European community above the level of certain forms of labour.”


"The Act was passed and has been in effect for thirteen years. By now, much of what Dr. Verwoerd promised has come to pass. Each day two million young South Africans, neatly turned out in the compulsory school uniform of white shirt and black pants or jumper, enter segregated Bantu schools to be educated for servitude." - Ernest Cole, House of Bondage

Ernest Cole's influential 1967 photobook, House of Bondage, captured the everyday hardship faced by Black South Africans during apartheid. A new edition of this pivotal book published by Aperture in 2022, preserves Cole's original writings and images, and includes contemporary perspectives on his life and lasting impact.

This digitization of Ernest Cole's archives, along with his first-person accounts, offers the opportunity to appreciate and comprehend the work of one of South Africa’s most significant photographers. This accessible digital collection makes his legacy available for educational purposes, academic study, and research, effectively integrating Cole's contributions into the global visual heritage.

Read more about Ernest Cole’s biography in the title story, Ernest Cole Archives: House of Bondage.