Weddings in Southern Africa are an amalgamation of African cultural practices and Western rituals

Sabelo Mlangeni (South Africa) is one of the winners of POPCAP'16, the piclet.org Prize for Contemporary African Photography. His work Isivumelwano: An agreement, 2003-2014 comprises a series of photographs shot at various wedding ceremonies in South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique and Swaziland. How does the love between two people become a community event? In a statement, Mlangeni writes: 'Wedding ceremonies in black Southern African cultures are significant gatherings, often with more than one day of celebrations. The work looks at the way Southern African cultures have been adapted over the years looking particularly at the amalgamation of African cultural practices and Western white wedding rituals seen predominantly in metropolises.'

Other winners of the 2016 contest are: Julia Rungle (Germany), Thom Pierce (South Africa), Jason Larkin (UK) and Nicolas Henry (France). More about winners and works here.

ZAM presented Sabelo Mlangeni's photography in September 2015. View more work by Mlangeni on the website of Stevenson Gallery.