Publisher's Synopsis
Orania is not located along any main route. In the barren Northern Cape, somewhere on the R369 between Hopetown and Petrusville, about 160 km from Kimberley, lies this town that has been steeped in controversy since its establishment as a nation state exclusively for white Afrikaners. It is a town of unusual combinations: a thousand white people and many thousands of pecan trees; the arid Karoo and the green banks of the Orange River; the ideology of some and the opportunism of others. People wonder about Orania. What is it like? What type of person would live there? Are there entrance gates? Is it neo-apartheid? Photographer Michael Hammond aims his camera at the people of Orania, while accompanying narratives by writer Hanlie Retief provide a glimpse into their lives.
