Stories that matter: Photographer Elisabeth Real shines a light on discrimination of lesbians in South Africa

“It is my conviction that in order to advance as a global community, we must grant equal rights to all people as soon as possible,” says Swiss photojournalist Elisabeth Real who is also a much valued member of the global Primafila network of correspondents. She has traveled the world for corporate and media assignments and has only recently returned to her native village in rural Switzerland after living in Madagascar for five years.

On four occasions between 2012 and 2017 she visited South Africa to work on the second volume of her long-term work, the “Lesbian Lives Project”. In When You Come Back I Might Be Dead. Black Lesbians in Johannesburg and a Constitution’s Promise, Elisabeth explores the discrepancy between the comparatively progressive South African constitution – that even promises marriage equality in addition to equality and protection from discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation – and the dismal situation “on the ground” where Black lesbians living in townships are exposed to unimaginable violence while their attackers are rarely prosecuted.

Elisabeth’s portraits tell stories of trauma, powerlessness and profound grief – and, ultimately, resistance. The images are accompanied by haunting interviews and texts, which provide a rare insight into a world where legal equality has little significance in real life.