About Us
Of Soul and Joy Photo Project
Of Soul and Joy (OSJ) is a social and artistic initiative undertaken in 2012 by Rubis Mécénat and Easigas in Thokoza, a township in the southeast of Johannesburg, South Africa.
Of Soul and Joy extends its support by providing young photographers with trainings (literacy, computer science, lifeskills, etc.) and access to a network of key cultural players on the local and international scene – a tailor-made support for the emergence of a new generation of South African photographers and for their professional careers.
Using the practice of photography as a tool for emancipation and commitment for a future career, the progra
mme benefits approximately 20 participants yearly aged 15-30 years old. These participants are either high school students from the Buhlebuzile Secondary School or young adults passionate about pursuing their creativity in the field of photography.
Each year, the programme awards scholarships to its most promising young photographers to access higher education in photography at a university of their choice, including the Market Photo Workshop in Johannesburg.
Since 2012, the project has awarded around fifty scholarships, held over twenty annual exhibitions and community events, published four books featuring the OSJ students’ work while also creating work opportunities for over ten active mentors as a commitment to eleven years of photography training in South Africa.
Today, the programme attracts emerging photographers coming from different surrounding townships in Johannesburg and with local and international cultural institutions including Magnum Photos and Noor Images, thus expanding its action.
The Of Soul and Joy programme is led by South African photographer and Project Manager Jabulani Dhlamini, seconded by photographer Thandile Zwelibanzi.
Easigas (Pty) Ltd
Easigas (Pty) Ltd, a subsidiary 55 % owned by Rubis Énergie (France) and 45 % by Reatile Gas (South Africa), has been one of the principal suppliers and distributor of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) on the South African market for the last three decades.
Easigas (Pty) Ltd, a responsible company within the energy field in South Africa, decided to engage in social and economic development programmes in order to benefit local communities within the areas where the company is active.
In 2012, as part of the fund’s socio-cultural strategy, Rubis Mécénat and Easigas under-took together the development of the Of Soul and Joy project in Thokoza, a township on the outskirts of Alberton (where Easigas has its headquarters) in Gauteng, South Africa. The motivation behind this project is to involve the company and its employees in the local social scene.
Rubis Mécénat
Since 2011, Rubis Mécénat, the Rubis group’s endowment fund, has been promoting artistic creation throughout the countries where the Group operates. The fund develops long-term social art initiatives by establishing educational artistic programmes based on the visual arts and design for young adults from disadvantaged communities in some of the countries where the Rubis is active. At the same time, it supports artists in France and abroad by commissioning works for specific places as well as for the Group’s industrial sites, in collaboration with cultural institutions. For each commission, Rubis Mécénat helps to produce the art work and accompanies the artist throughout the artistic process.The fund also supports the artist in a longer term by purchasing art works and editing publications and artist videos.
*Today, Rubis Mécénat undertakes three socio-cultural programmes: Of Soul and Joy, a photographic project in South Africa (since 2012), InPulse, a creative platform for visual arts in Jamaica (since 2015), and Ndao Hanavao, an innovation laboratory for social design in Madagascar (since 2018).
